KUCHING: Voters will be looking into the personality traits of candidates before deciding if they should cast their ballots for them in elections from now on.
“In this new era of politics, personality traits have become a major consideration for voters to choose, especially among the middle age group of voters,” said political analyst Dick Lembang Dugun.
The Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) lecturer was prompted for comment on whether the candidates’ personality would matter more than the political parties that they are aligned to during these coming state polls.
Voters, he said, want a candidate who is close to them, knows their grievances, someone who can work for them, approachable, friendly as well as educated.
“So, all political parties must choose the best candidates who have the blessings of the grassroots. In other words, those who have good personalities and are winnable candidates,” he pointed out.
Once elected, such candidates who were chosen by parties can help manage the country or state with good policies, and subsequently benefit the people and the country as a whole.
“Thus, the political party still plays a role in helping the voters choose or decide during the election,” he said.
Most importantly, he said candidates who win in the election must not betray the voters by jumping from one party to another,” he said.
Meanwhile, another political analyst Prof Datuk Mohd Fadzil Abdul Rahman of Unimas felt both the personality of the candidate as well as the political party the candidates are aligned to would be equally important for voters.
“I have the feeling that these times, both of these elements are important, but if you ask me, I will say that personality is very important.
“For instance, how close they are to their community, whether they have contributed and what can they bring to their constituency.
“This is very important, and the party will complement the personality of a politician,” he said.
