POLITICAL parties contesting in the upcoming general election should not promise the moon and the stars to voters and must take into account the country’s financial situation before producing their manifesto, observers said.

They told The Malaysian Insight that although a manifesto was still relevant, a party must not promise to implement a policy beyond their reach. 

They added that almost every party contesting in the next polls have had governing experiences, and hence must not repeat past mistakes.

Ilham Centre executive director Hisommudin Bakar said it would be irresponsible for a party to promise something that cannot be fulfilled for the sake of winning the election.

However, he said a manifesto was not “something that drives voters to vote” but is a selling point for a political party during an election.

Hisommudin said the document serves as a guide to government officials to look at when drafting and subsequently implementing a policy.

“In our study, we found that a manifesto has little impact on voters. Those in the urban or semi urban areas would pay more attention, but not rural voters. Voters will be more inclined to look at the candidate itself or the party contesting when making their choice.

“A manifesto is the ‘ajinomoto’ for a party contesting in an election. Without a manifesto, it is not complete. A manifesto is used by a party to get close to voters.

“However, it must not be used to promise the moon or make populist statements just to win an election. I think almost every party had the experience (of governing). Therefore, they should be more responsible when drafting a manifesto this time,” said Hisommudin.

In July 2018, then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad conceded that his government may not be able to realise all the 10 promises in 100 days as pledged in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) manifesto for the 14th general election.

Dr Mahathir said this was because the government had to prioritise other important matters.

“To us, the manifesto is not the Quran or Bible. When challenges arise, we need to find ways to face it,” he had said.

Economist Barjoyai Bardai of Universiti Tun Abdul Razak echoed Hisommudin’s view, saying that each political party must look at the current economic situation before offering election promises to the people.

“Our current economic situation must be the basis of every manifesto. We have to first solve our short-term problems before we can address the long-term ones. 

“A manifesto is a symbol of what a government would do should a party win the polls. But not all of the promises would be fulfilled. Therefore, political parties must conduct a study and look at the idea of what they want to offer the people,” said the academic.

Voters can’t be fooled

Last week, the Barisan Nasional supreme council agreed to use the theme of “Stability and Prosperity” as its manifesto for the coming general election.

PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim meanwhile said the coalition is expected to launch its manifesto for the general election on October 20.

“We don’t want a long (manifesto). The core manifesto must (relate to) the cost of living, education, health facilities, job opportunities and eliminating corruption,” he told a press conference at the PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya.

Dr Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said voters are now equipped with knowledge and can no longer be fooled by empty promises.

He urged every political party to look at all aspects before introducing their election promises, stressing that the manifesto was still relevant despite many unkept pledges.

“If we say we would abolish highway tolls for the sake of election, I think that is inappropriate. We need tolls for road maintenance, it cannot be free but can be reduced. 

“Same goes for free education. We make such a populist statement but in the end are we capable of providing such policy to our people. Are we financially strong enough to do that?

“I think we must be realistic and not promise the moon. Moreover, voters in this age are all literate, they know politics and are not easily fooled by politicians’ promises,” he added. – October 17, 2022.