SHAH ALAM: There is a saying in Malaysian politics which speaks to a scenario in which a popular political party can field virtually any candidate and win an election: “Letak tunggul pun menang,” (loosely translated as “Enter a tree stump and it would still win.”)
For example, back when Johor was still the bastion of Umno, a number of metaphorical “tree stumps” won elections with minimal campaigning.
Alas, times have changed.
So which party can now afford to place “tree stumps” in elections, and which will be at the losing end?
As Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) are still numbed by their defeat in the 14th general election (GE14), the coalition is jumping into a contest which is undeniably an uphill battle following their plunge in popularity.
Some observers are saying that Umno Supreme Council member Lokman Adam’s candidacy in the Sungai Kandis state seat by-election is political suicide by BN, since the coalition had failed to wrest the seat and state for more than two terms.
Lokman’s venture into the by-election is also said to be a rushed affair – a party insider claimed that he had only changed his MyKad address to a local postcode last week, in order to make himself an eligible candidate.
To be fair, Lokman’s trademark spiritedness may win him some accolades among locals – although it may pale in comparison to the long-standing popularity enjoyed by PKR’s Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni.
Mohd Zawawi, who is also the principal of Maahad Tahfiz Al Fateh in Jalan Kebun, is said to be immensely popular among locals and a familiar face, given his day job as a religious teacher.
He had also revealed that the late state assemblyman Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei had wanted to pass the baton to him prior to GE14.
Since 2008, when the seat was known as Seri Andalas prior to 2018’s re-delineation exercise, PKR had been holding on to the rural constituency with a series of thumping vote majorities.
Even Mat Shuhaimi won with a comfortable majority of 12,480 in GE14.
The state seat has 51,230 registered voters.
The by-election will see a three-cornered fight between Mohd Zawawi, Lokman and one Murthy Krishnasamy, a 60-year-old Independent candidate.
Murthy claims that he is a former staff member of the Selangor administration.
Is Lokman poised to make a difference at a time when Umno no longer has the luxury of fielding “tree stumps,” or will the by-election stand as a litmus test of PKR’s incumbency?
The answer will only be clear on Aug 4.