Costly Misstep

One of the articles that caught my attention was this particular piece by Darul Ehsan Today which I mostly concur with, although I admit I don't know who are these advisors and strategists that charted BN's GE13 campaign.

Apparently the article was taken from Malaysian Insider, but I don't read that thing, so I got it second hand from DET instead :D.

I do agree with the two major missteps by DS Najib's campaign build up towards the GE13, though.

DS Najib's approach of focusing on his own personal popularity as a build up towards GE13 was a mistake.  

As was rightly pointed out by the article, quoting Tun Daim, Malaysian elections is not a presidential election.  

Hence, pitting Najib's popularity against Anwar's is not the answer.  Neither is pitting BN's performance against PKR's as the real power behind Pakatan has always been DAP among the Chinese and PAS among the Malays.

All political analysts would have already identified this a long while back, and that should have been the basis of BN's campaign, but BN failed to capitalise on this knowledge in addressing the relentless anti-Umno stance by Pakatan propaganda machinery (Malaysiakini, Malaysian Insider, Free Malaysia Today, The Star, etc.) and the vernacular Chinese media (Sin Chew, China Press, Oriental Daily, etc.).

Instead, BN's campaign has been on Najib's personal popularity, that brought the focus on PM and his wife, as opposed to BN's successes in Johor, Sarawak and Sabah against DAP's in Penang, PKR's in Selangor, even PAS' in Kelantan.

Then there is the perception of Najib's predilection towards favoring the Chinese community over and above others, that had been translated by the Malays as marginalising them and their interests in order to gain favor from the Chinese.  

In some parts of Johor, for example, I have personally heard complaints among the grassroots members that not only are the Malays being neglected by their Chinese and Indian representatives, they feel that Najib is marginalising the Malays too.

Such was the strength of the Johor Malay anger that BN lost in Parit Yaani and won with a much reduced majority in Pemanis.

I was told that for Johor at least, the simulation that was made in 2011 by BN Johor was reflected exactly on the evening of May 5th.  

Four marginal parliamentary seats that was dependent on plus or minus two percent swing votes of undecided voters was Labis, Tanjong Piai, Segamat and Batu Pahat, where winnable candidates would have made the difference.

However, against BN Johor's advice, KL decided to field Puad Zarkashi in Batu Pahat, resulting in BN's marginal loss at a seat where BN should have won, albeit with a reduced majority. 

 It was a show of arrogance by the KL people who felt that they knew better than the Johoreans working on the ground.

Najib definitely needs better strategists for the next GE, and he must get it now.