NIBONG TEBAL: Both the unity government and Perikatan Nasional (PN) are seeing the Sungai Bakap by-election as the latest testing ground for their respective popularity.
Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Dr Oh Ei Sun said this was visible from the large turnout of national leaders during nomination day and ceramah on the first day of campaigning.
"Most by-elections are referendums of some sort. Each side wants to show that they still have the support of the people.
"This is so that voters can use it to indicate their political feelings in between general elections," he told the New Straits Times.
Today is the third day of campaigning for the Sungai Bakap by-election which will see a straight fight between Pakatan Harapan's (PH) Dr Joohari Ariffin and PN's Abidin Ismail.
Both Joohari and Abidin have expressed high hopes of winning due to the encouraging support from voters of all races during their campaign trail.
It will be status quo if Pas wins in this by-election.
But a win for PH means sending another elected representative to the state legislative assembly and further strengthening its position.
The by-election was triggered following the death of Pas' assemblyman Nor Zamri Latiff on May 24.
The Election Commission has fixed polling on July 6.
Oh, however, said it was unlikely for the non-Malays to vote for Pas.
"But as a sign of protest against what they considered as incompetence (by mainly Chinese voters) or injustice (by mainly Indian voters), they may stay out from voting, which in effect is equivalent to voting for Pas, as Pas is famously able to mobilise its supporters to come out to vote en masse.
"Also, there is a determined and increasingly numerous Malay support for a decidedly religious outlook for the country, even in a supposedly much urbanised state such as Penang.
"And Pas is once again banking on this 'Green Wave'," he added, noting that just like what they did in the last general elections and subsequent state elections.