The 13th general election is a test for the Barisan Nasional (BN) government to see whether the reforms that they have implemented in recent times are fruitful or otherwise.

This is the opinion of Karim Raslan -- a political journalist and group chief executive of political risk advisory KRA Group.

“This is a test to see whether the BN government has made themselves more relevant to the people of Malaysia. Yes, many reforms have been put into place.

“But do the people believe it? This is an opportunity for the people to judge them,” Karim told AstroAwani.

Karim who had been travelling the lengths of Malaysia to engage with people and gauge politicians’ sentiments, said stiff competition is expected in this election.

He said however, the competition provides Malaysians with an opportunity to hear the difference and decide for themselves.

“The fight is going to be very stiff especially in hot seats like Gelang Patah.  In Gelang Patah, an older gentleman who is seen as a political rockstar, is going against another older gentleman.

“Lim Kit Siang against Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman. Lim has an enourmous pull among the Chinese community while Abdul Ghani, as a senior Umno statesman, is respected by the Malay community.

“The real challenge for them is to win support from other communities in order to deny their opponents victory.

“Lim from at least 30 per cent of Malays and Abdul Ghani from at least 30 per cent of the Chinese,” he said.

Karim also said in the 2008 general election, the result was not anticipated.

“This time around, Pakatan Rakyat will be defending the states that they have won. It is going to be different and intense,” he said.