KUCHING: Political analyst Dr Lee Kuok Tiung believes one common trait among voters here is the Sarawak sentiment and the rejection of racial and religious issues played up by Malayan party leaders.
He said there were many factors with regard to voters’ preferences in their choice of candidate during the election.
“Those who have better economic background might not need their elected representative to help them as much, but those with less fortunate conditions might depend on their elected representative to help them,” he said when contacted by New Sarawak Tribune.
He also pointed out that civil servants might think differently compared with those in the private sector.
He believed that age and gender would certainly be among the factors when it comes to a voter’s choice of candidate, but added that there were so many other factors depending on the group of voters.
For instance, he said that younger voters might take candidates’ age and looks into consideration.
“Speaking of age and gender, political parties should not repeat the mistake of using quotas to nominate their candidates, that is, allocating certain percentages to women and youth.
“Selection should be based on their merits,” emphasised Lee, who is also a senior lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
With regard to what makes a candidate more popular and well-liked by voters, he believed that it was social media, based on the current context.
“Social media influencers will have the upper hand, but this is subject to how many of their followers are voters in their constituency and also their availability and willingness to turn up to vote,” he said.
