Lessons from Teluk Intan by-election

The Gerakan president brought home the 134th MP seat for Barisan Nasional last night dealing an upset defeat to the favourite candidate, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud with a thin majority of 238 votes.

Mah received 20,157 votes while Dyana, from DAP, garnered 19,919 votes.

The Teluk Intan by-election, triggered after the death of the DAP rep in May 1, recorded the second lowest voter turnout in five by-elections held after the 13th general election (GE13)— after Bukit Gelugor’s 56.04%.

The Teluk Intan by-election recorded 66.67 percent voter turnout or 40,236 voters, including ordinary voters, early voters and absentee voters. During GE13, a total of 80.7 percent or 48,839 people went to the polls in Teluk Intan.

Here are our thoughts on the fiercely contested polls and its implications.

Gerakan's winning indicates several things about how the Teluk Intan voters think. Analysts say that one of the main reason for an increase of votes Mah’s way was because he is a familiar local figure and that his promises are practical.

Because Mah is a well-known personality in his home town and his campaign had focused on how he sincerely cared about the welfare of the people here, it is perhaps easier to accept for locals than DAP’s abstract message of idealism and national issues.

It can be hard to resist Mah’s promise of economic and infrastructure development, coupled with the obvious monetary support from the state and federal government.

All that, and to top it all off, a full cabinet Minister post. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s last minute announcement of the Ministership if Mah wins, like it or not, had helped. It also meant that people trusted Mah as a man of principles when he said he would not take up a backdoor position, something the opposition had harped on.

Perhaps it is easier for a person to accept another that is offering solutions to their problems in their backyard, as oppose to ideals that seem far fetched.

First and foremost, the DAP had failed to convince enough outstation voters – especially the young Chinese, and some Malays – to pack their bags and head home to fulfill their duties in their home town. The comparatively low turnout dealt was the one that dealt the final blow to DAP’s chances of retaining the seat.

These outside voters failed to deliver despite a manifesto by Dyana that seemed to be crafted just right to appeal to the urban young.

Without a deeper analysis on the voting patterns of each community, and assuming that there was a drop in votes for all races, it meant that Dyana’s outward popularity was a little deceptive. There may be a beeline of fans wherever she goes, offline and especially online.

But when it comes to polling day, the perceived popularity could well have worked against the whole ‘underdog’ card that DAP tried to play.

Teluk Intan also once again shows how popularity in social media does not translate to a election win. The number of people who come to a ceramah does not mean the number of votes that has been won over.

Some observers also noted how Dyana was sheltered by senior DAP members and her inexperience – on stage, in answering tough and even simply questions – had showed. While it is definitely an appealing message to show to archaic politicians the beauty of youth, perhaps the message just could not translate to votes.

Mah’s year long journey to revitalise a dying Gerakan, after he took over as the chief, has found new wings in his win. Morale in Gerakan, which has been, for some years, at an all-time low is expected to surge drastically.

Party members who were only sleeping members would now wake up to the call of a better future. Perhaps Gerakan could find back its ‘roots’ and return to its glory days where it was a party that could call the shots.

The party, which has always been touted as BN’s ‘voice of conscience’, is hoped to emerge from its cocoon and be more outwardly vocal again.

However, it remains to be seen whether Gerakan will stand up and speak up against big brother UMNO, and other component parties and overstep the line. But having a second Gerakan MP in Dewan Rakyat, and a Minister in Cabinet, has already greatly increased the value of the ‘mosquito’ party.

Has the experiment by DAP to field a Malay in a majority Chinese area failed? Would Malaysia revert to its old self that is more comfortable where race and politics will always go hand in hand?

Perhaps the majority of the electorate are not yet ready to go against the grain, and have each community’s identity intertwined with the other, and strive for ideals that does not seem ‘realistic’. It is a tall order to ask politicians to change their skin, much less the masses.

To be fair, the idea of having less race centric politics is also supported by Gerakan, which is, in some way ironically, touts itself as a multi-racial party like DAP. But the symbolic baby steps to field Dyana can maybe one day be used as an example for others.

For now, it is more likely that DAP would retreat back to its drawing board on making such ‘bold’ moves. Would this mean more Chinese MPs for ‘Chinese’ seats in future?

Dyana might have lost the fight but she is not necessarily lost the battle.

She is only 27 now and when the 14th general election approaches in a few more ears, she would perhaps be 30 or 31. Her next political step in her career has just begun and for such a young rebel and optimistic woman, she perhaps still has a long way to go.

This Teluk Intan by-election would definitely have matured this young woman to face political beatings and insults that are far more challenging.

Like how she herself said: she was taunted and insulted once when she chose a political path with DAP.

She was taunted and insulted again when she became the political secretary to Lim Kit Siang. Those two experiences have prepared her to be taunted and insulted and even slandered during the Teluk Intan campaigning period.

For GE14, she would be even more ready for greater things.

This by-election has only re-affirmed one thing: new politics is something very alien and strange.

In this country’s political scene, there was never a real clash of ideas or policy. Debate was also never our culture. What left are politics of threats, slander and insults. The racial line in politics is also being drawn too thickly. At the heart of it, everyone is still very divided.

Moreover, the role of a Parliamentarian as a policy and law maker is yet to be fully understood by all, including among those politicians. For the longest time, an MP is still hoped to be someone who takes up the duties in a district office.