‘Politics is about who wins and loses. The rest is of marginal interest.’
— Sean Wilentz, American historian.
I am looking forward to two important dates for the 15th General Election (GE15) next month. One is Nov 5 while the other is Nov 19.
The Election Commission has announced that GE15 will be held on Nov 19 with nomination set for Nov 5 and early voting on Nov 15.
On Nov 5, I will be one of those glued to the television screen and busy watching YouTube channels to find out who will be nominated by the parties to stand in the election.
The parliamentary seats in Sarawak will be of particular interest to me. I am curious to know how many women candidates will be vying for the seats in Sarawak and how many of them are new faces.
The 111 Initiative, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) under Undi18 (Persatuan Pengundi Muda) is urging all Malaysian political parties to field more women candidates in GE15.
It advocates 50 per cent female representation in the parliament and points out that at the moment, only 15 per cent of seats in the parliament are held by women, which is a much lower percentage than the international target of 30 per cent.
It also points out that in 2018, out of 687 candidates who contested for parliamentary seats, only 75 were women.
It implores leaders of political parties to consider putting forth more women representatives to not only diversify and make parliament more representative but to also achieve the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) which call for equal opportunities for women and men in the political field.
The 111 Initiative points out that better representation holds the key to a more advanced Malaysia.
Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) will definitely be fielding some new faces. This was confirmed by PBB senior vice president and Petra Jaya incumbent, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof recently. He revealed that some of the MPs had indicated their intentions to step down.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg has said the state’s ruling coalition Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) will be defending all of its 31 parliamentary seats in GE15.
He also told The Straits Times that the coalition, which comprised PBB, Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), was cautiously hopeful of winning big, with a convincing majority.
“Perhaps more than two-thirds (of the seats,” he said when asked to comment on GPS’ chances of winning.
Abang Johari has revealed that GPS will have its own manifesto for GE15; it is the state coalition’s first national polls without support from a Peninsula-based coalition.
The premier explained that GPS had decided to contest all 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak on its own because it needed a strong voice in parliament. All GPS candidates will also be contesting under its “Sarawak First” policy.
“GPS will fight on one platform for Sarawak first and we will have our own manifesto,” he said.
Asked by reporters if any Peninsula-based coalitions were wooing GPS, Abang Johari had replied “yes” but added there was nothing concrete at the moment.
“I have said it before — GPS is like a pretty lady and pretty ladies are bound to have many suitors,” he said.
Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP), meanwhile, is going all out to defend all the party’s six parliamentary seats.
Sarawak DAP chairman and Stampin incumbent, Chong Chieng Jen has revealed that the party will be using the rocket logo in GE15.
One of the local opposition parties in Sarawak is Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) and since recently, it has been collaborating with two other local parties, namely, Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS).
On Nov 5, besides naming their candidates, all the political parties vying for the seats in parliament will also be unveiling their manifestos as well. Will there be any surprises?
With polling set for Nov 19, politicians and political parties have urged all those eligible to vote and fulfil their responsibility to the nation.
As pointed out by one political analyst, voting is an opportunity to restructure the country by choosing the right candidates and political parties to form the government.
The Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) and airlines have also been urged to reduce the flight fares so that voters can return to Sarawak to cast their votes on Nov 19.
Besides urging voters to buy their flight tickets in advance rather than at the last minute, Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin also called on the executive chairman of MAVCOM to request the airlines to have extra flights or use bigger aircraft such as Airbus A350 which could carry 300 to 400 passengers.
Sarawak students who cannot afford to buy air tickets to return home to vote can also apply for the Free air tickets, Return to Vote 2.0 campaign organised by the Christian Social Care Department of the Methodist Sarawak Chinese Year Council. The closing date is on Oct 27.
Many of my friends are eager to cast their votes and fulfil their responsibility to the country. Polling day will be interesting. The results will be interesting because many new voters are not only those aged 20 and 21 but also those who did not register as voters previously.
For members of the press, Nov 19 will be a long and tiring day because they have to wait for all the results which may come staggering in.
As in any competition or fight, there will be winners and losers in GE15. May the winners win gracefully and losers lose gracefully and may all Malaysians choose the right candidates for a strong and stable federal government.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
