Kedah PKR nominee concerned over subdued mood among voters

ALOR STAR: PKR's candidate for the parliamentary seat here, Chan Ming Kai, has sounded the alarm bells over what he sees as a subdued mood among voters of different segments including the Chinese community.
The political nomad, who has won seats in two previous states – Perak and Perlis – and is now gunning for his third seat in a third state (Kedah), told theSun that the mood this time is low key compared to the 2008 and 2013 elections.
Perhaps, voters have made up their minds but he is concerned if this dispirited sense may result in a low voter turnout.
Malaysians have been at the forefront of many issues since 2013, from natural calamities to economic issues as well as the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 while en-route to China from KLIA.
Pakatan Harapan has confessed that to the 14th General Election, they need to secure a turnout margin of at least 85% and above to tilt the momentum.
But Chan, who replaces the PKR incumbent Gooi Hsiao Leung and has since relocated to the Bukit Tengah state seat in Penang, said that the momentum is a bit slow as campaigning reaches its midway point here.
"It is tough but it usually is in an election where the Opposition is always the underdog. We have to plough forward," the Ipoh-born politician said.
He said that the Opposition needs to work harder to convince the voters about the importance of change, particularly among the semi-urban and rural grounds.
Political observer Rahmad Isahak concluded that voters have become fatigued and in some sense, the politicians themselves are tired over the constant campaigning and bickering among themselves for positions and to champion their issues.
It shows in the faces of the voters and politicians, said Rahmad.
The downcast atmosphere surrounding the election is also a result of a combination of factors, and with the rise of social media, voters may have already made up their minds, said Rahmad, who estimates that less than 40% of the 14.7 million eligible voters are still fence-sitters.