By Niza Shimi
If taking selfies with constituents for the 15th general election (GE15) is any kind of indication, caretaker Minister of Health Khairy Jamaluddin (KJ) can win in Sungai Buloh. KJ just conducted his own opinion poll, so to speak.
New Straits Times (NST) reported that KJ said this in jest when he explained his delay in attending the programmes planned for his campaign trail at the constituency was due to spending “between 30 and 45 minutes because many people wanted to take selfies with me.”
At a recent political ceramah (rally) in Sungai Buloh, KJ remarked, "And if the selfies does translate into votes, I believe that I have a chance to win Sungai Buloh seat based on the number of selfies taken since yesterday (Saturday) until today (Sunday)."
That’s how easy to conduct an opinion poll. According to the online dictionary, an opinion poll is an assessment of public opinion by questioning a representative sample, especially as a basis for forecasting the results of voting.
A survey, according to online Britannica, is an activity in which many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something. Credible surveys need to follow strict protocols.
Opinion polls, on the other hand, can be done easily in the age of the internet and social media. These kinds of polls can be skewed according to whatever outcome the pollsters want. Some online polls do not restrict the number of times a person can vote.
I’m not convinced by either polls or surveys as predictors but it can give an idea. Polls and surveys have been wrong. The best outcome will be on election day when all votes have been counted. That also depends on the number of voters to turn out, the number of spoilt votes etc.
The debatable findings of the survey conducted by Universiti Utara Malaysia’s Centre for Measurement and Appraisal (CeTMA) did say that KJ is the most popular young politician, ahead of Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s Rafizi Ramli and Malaysian United Democratic Alliance’s Syed Saddiq.
As he is already 46 years old, being considered young could be due to his non-typical politician scruffy good looks (tall, dark and handsome) and rocker vibes in social media. He is just as capable at debating as he is at rocking out a tune on electric guitar.
From young firebrand who used to demonstrate outside embassies, he has matured into the ultimate “cool daddy” politician. For the young perhaps he is a breath of fresh air. His credential is impressive, no doubt.
Of all his achievements, being the “backdoor” Minister of Health really gave him the opportunity to rise and shine. That’s when his education, intelligence, energy and determination made him a hit during the Covid-19 pandemic at the get-go.
Many of the younger voters don’t remember him as the leader of the brats known as the Fourth Floor Boys during the time of Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, his father-in-law.
For me, the brats of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) during PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s time were equally, if not more, obnoxious. Being young doesn’t mean you can expect to be respected if you disregard your seniors.
Compared to Rafizi and Syed Saddiq, KJ has done his time in the wilderness. He has matured and knows that a leader can’t shine without his followers. If he can just stop shooting from the hips and sulking, this is KJ’s time to shine.
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