Independents didn’t have means to win, say observers


Noel Achariam

One of the more high-profile independents contesting in the general election, Siti Kasim, lost her deposit. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, November 21, 2022.

106 INDEPENDENTS lost in the general election because they lacked machinery, were unknown to voters, and were contesting against established coalitions, political observers said. 

They also said the independents went in because some of them were “trying their luck”, promoting their interests or were frustrated with the current parties. Some were also former politicians making a comeback. 

In GE15, only two independent candidates from Sabah triumphed. 

Riduan Rubin was one of them, winning the Tenom parliamentary seat with a majority of 1,108 votes after obtaining 10,027 votes in a five-cornered fight. 

Verdon Bahanda was the other, winning the Kudat seat with 16,323 votes, a 1,967-majority in a five-cornered fight. 

This general election boasted the highest number of independent candidates. In the previous general election, only 24 independents contested and three won. 

International Islamic University of Malaysia’s Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar said the independents lost because they didn’t have the means to reach out to voters in a “crowded field”. 

He said this was due to them going up against top coalitions and not being able to appeal to voters due to weak electoral machinery. 

“Voters also didn’t know what these independents were championing and whether they could actually do legislative and constituency work,” he told The Malaysian Insight. 

As for the Sabah candidates winning, Tunku Mohar said that unlike in the peninsula where parties were big and controlled the machinery, in some parts of Sabah, personality was still a factor. 

“This is in addition to fragmented party machineries in certain constituencies,” he said. 

Political observer Dr Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said that many independents decided to contest due to the increase in political literacy after the political crisis (change of governments) and the Covid-19 pandemic more than two years ago. 

He also said the independents contested in GE15 because they were not confident in the political parties, which were too focused on politics rather than solving issues. 

“Their loss was because the majority of voters will choose parties first, but the candidate factor is also relevant depending on areas such as urban, semi and rural. 

“In the peninsula, choosing independents is not a culture, especially in urban areas like Batu even with personalities such as lawyer Siti Kasim or Tian Chua (former PKR vice-president).” 

As for the Sabah winners, he said the independents won and could defeat larger parties because one of the most important characteristics of Sabah politics was the ethnic factor. 

“In Sabah, an independent who is known and represents one group or clan will have a chance to win. This situation does not exist in the peninsula.”

Former Batu MP Tian Chua contested as an independent after he was dropped as a candidate by PKR. He lost his race. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, November 21, 2022.

Political vacuum 

Oh Ei Sun of the Pacific Research Center of Malaysia said the independents decided to contest because they thought the mainstream parties were in disarray. 

“I think many saw a vacuum in the political mess and decided to try their luck. 

“This is especially when they had observed the calibre of some of the senior political leaders who they felt they could beat.” 

He said that the reason they lost could be because voters were more associated with parties than candidates. 

“Typically (voters chose) party first, with candidate’s name recognition as a plus.” 

As for the two independents who won in Sabah, he said the Kudat candidate had been on the ground for some time, while the Tenom candidate is the son of a veteran politician. 

Among the more notable independent candidates who lost their deposits were Siti Kasim, Tian Chua, and social media influencer Nur Fathiah Syazwana Shaharuddin @ Cleo who contested in a 10-cornered fight for the Batu seat. 

Others who lost their deposit included Abdul Rani Kulup Abdullah who contested in Port Dickson and former MP Wong Tack who contested in Bentong. 

To contest in an election, a candidate must pay a deposit of RM10,000 (for the parliamentary seat) and an additional deposit of RM5,000 for clearing up banners and posters after the election. 

After votes were tabulated, the Election Commission (EC) announced that no political party had won a simple majority to form a government. 

Pakatan Harapan (PH) gained 76 seats, with coalition member DAP in Sarawak winning five seats and Muda one seat, for a total of 82 seats. 

Perikatan Nasional (PN) and PAS won 51 and 22 seats respectively for a combined total of 73 seats. 

Barisan Nasional (BN) won 30, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (22), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (6), Warisan (3), Parti Bangsa Malaysia (1) and the independents took home two seats. – November 21, 2022.



Sign up or sign in here to comment.


Comments