‘Mah’s election manifesto has more substance’

PETALING JAYA: Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Mah Siew Keong has more substance in election manifesto than first time candidate DAP’s Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud for the Teluk Intan by-election.

Dyana’s national opinion maker manifesto appears to be short on details while it is obvious that Mah has the advantage in having a clear value proposition for the Teluk Intan voters, revealed NGO Kuasa today.

Kuasa focuses on organisational development for politicians, activists and their groups through engagement processes utilising social media and strategic messaging.

Comparing the manifestos of both the candidates, Kuasa chief executive Praba Ganesan said both manifestos were issued late.

Mah’s manifesto was launched on May 26, a day before early voting, while Dyana’s manifesto came out only midday yesterday, halfway through early voting.

Praba said the delay could only be attributed to being tactical and out-waiting each other, rather than allowing enough time for those promises to be dissected by the public and media.

Commenting further, while the BN manifesto for Teluk Intan leans on the 2013 state general election manifesto, it was still filled with more specific promises for the constituency, said Praba.
Mah, in his manifesto, has promised to turn the area into a manufacturing, agricultural and food hub for lower Perak.

“Perak BN last year listed Teluk Intan as one of the five areas earmarked as economic zones, therefore this appears to be a realisation of the previous promise which was largely not executed,” said Praba in a statement.

Praba then commented that Mah’s university pledge was reminiscent of Mahathirist thinking as BN has been known to promise and deliver universities as part of election pledges.

The promise on higher internet penetration on the other hand was populist, as state governments have had challenges in ensuring reliable WiFi zones in their urban areas.

“It would be interesting to see if Mah can come good with this promise considering the demographical realities of Teluk Intan.

“The listing of the Menara Condong as a Unesco heritage site does add to an interesting list of promises,” he added.

Similar sentiments

As for Dyana’s manifesto, Kuasa said her objection to the goods and services tax (GST), mismanagement of federal funds and corruption appear as the pillars of her manifesto.

“While they are admirable, there are enough DAP and other Pakatan Rakyat MPs in parliament echoing the same sentiment.

“While the problems caused by these issues were explained by Dyana, she did not detail how she offers a fresh or different dimension to the cause.

Praba said Dyana should have given grounds on why she would raise more awareness or inspire young people to participate in the fight against the three issues.

On her pledge to work with local businesses to create more jobs and opportunities for young people, Praba said this was possible since DAP does hold sway with small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

However, her promise to only live in Teluk Intan if she wins the by-election sends the wrong message, said Praba.

“Telling voters that she will only commit to the constituency if she is voted in suggests that the constituency is undesirable otherwise,” he said.

FMT