Toads will be the vote spoilers for PH in next GE

 

For some time, they have been toying the idea of having independents to stand for the general election. It started as a noble idea; however, along the way, the idea has also been hijacked by people aligned to Umno and Barisan Nasional. 

        In the recent Melaka state election, we have seen a few independents standing in certain constituencies. They all lost in their attempt to garner the support of the people. It is no surprise that most of them also lost their deposit. 

        Why are the Independents suddenly being popularised? Why are they not positioning themselves in states such as Kelantan or Pahang where the majority of Malay voters are? Do they have a role to play or will they only be further disillusioning the Malaysian public? 

Vote for Me, I am 'Neutral'

        My question is: Really? I personally doubt if independents can even be neutral. In a mixed constituency, there can be no homogeneity in the way the constituents think. So, how then can an elected representative be neutral? 

        The promise that they only represent the people is nothing but a lie, simply because they can never represent all the voters. Even within a constituency, there are differing opinions; in the end, the independent can only represent herself with what she thinks is right. 

        Like other politicians, it is obvious that these Independents are trying to capitalise on public sympathy to vote for them, and their main target is not Umno-Barisan Nasional but seats that are otherwise held by Pakatan Harapan. There is no guarantee that, after they are elected, they will stand with the rakyat. I have added toads to the list: "Frogs and toads are aplenty these days. They can and will jump to people who offer them perks." 

        Some of them try to bull doze their way to steal support from PH incumbents. For example, in Subang Jaya, an Independent contested against YB Hannah Yeoh, accused a church in the constituency for being `biased towards YB Hannah.' 

        I found this amusing when he told me that he tried to enter the church compound after the service was over and the leaders showed him the exit. He has no slightest qualm to campaign for votes even though he was not invited, and at a time, when church members may be busy going about their own things. 

        It is not only him, but if we find some peddlers walking into the compound of any religious organisation, they would almost certainly be escorted to the main gate and given a farewell.  

        This gentleman did not realise that, being a church compound, most people attending the service did not wish to see politicians using the church compound for their political campaigns unless a church committee had deliberated and agreed to invite him to speak.
Try that to a mosque or a Buddhist temple and see if they would gladly welcome him! 

No Winners        

        So, to me, most Independents will not win the general election. It's sometimes their ego that need to be dealt with, although we hear them complaining about the ego of certain leaders. 

        Strangely, their attacks are focused on the key person in Pakatan Harapan: Anwar Ibrahim. While they are trying to steal votes from PH, they will not hesitate to attack Anwar for failing to garner support to carry out reforms. 

        As we can see, most Independents do not make it into the parliament. To form a government, you have to work with either coalition. Can those of us who support PH, for example, vote for these people who later decide to form a coalition with BN? 

        I can tell you, for example, BN supporters would not give them a damn. That is the reason why in Umno strongholds in Melaka, none of the Independents won a state seat. They lose their deposits when they are not able to garner enough votes. 

        Let us ask ourselves: Is the money well spent? Who is funding these Independents? Someone who already has deep pockets, maybe? If yes, who could that be? 

        If I may put it, based on my observations, Independents are mostly funded by Barisan Nasional to steal votes from PH. They are certainly not encouraged by PH, which is in dire need for more support to unseat BN from taking over Putrajaya again. 

        That is the reason why I do not think we will see any of the key Independents going for the Umno strongholds in the next general election. They will mainly focus on urban seats that are held by PH.