Business as usual after polling

TOMORROW will be the first time I will be voting. I couldn't do so
in 2008 as I was covering the campaign and election day in Kedah but
this time around, I will be queuing up early Sunday morning to exercise
my constitutional right,
The entire campaign period ahead of
polling day tomorrow is a lot more riveting than before. High stakes
are involved and the way the campaigns have been run is fascinating.
The
usual billboards, posters and banners are around for all to see.
Driving on the highways and roads will make it apparent just how
coordinated and sophisticated the campaigning has been this time around.
Social
media has been a big tool for people and politicians to reach out to.
Political ads are a commonplace on the Internet. Helping politicians
reach out to the public has been the proliferation of smartphones as
many more are using such sophisticated devices than in 2008.
Most
use such devices to follow the latest developments on Twitter and even
on their Facebook. Messaging applications have also allowed groups of
friends to discuss politics in ways not done before. The coffeeshop has
gone virtual.
But the bread-and-butter methods of communicating
is still being exercised. Newspapers, TV stations and radio are
channels for political parties to convey their messages. Ceramahs are
still being held although the weather has been the biggest enemy to
voters who want to hear what candidates are saying in their
constituencies. It's as if the heavens are really testing voters in the
evenings and nights if they are willing to weather the storm. Let's
hope the weather holds up tomorrow.
Once voting is concluded tomorrow, Malaysians will know who will be in power. It's then time to close ranks and move forward.
The
comments from CEOs espouse that thinking. Most wish for stability and
progress. The right environment to conduct business is important as the
business fraternity hates uncertainty.
In fact, much of
Corporate Malaysia has been on election mode of late. Corporate
announcements and activity have trickled to almost a halt and the FTSE
Bursa Malaysia KLCI yesterday dipped 18.69 points to 1694.77 as
investors certainly cashed in their profits given the record levels the
stock market was at. It will certainly be interesting to see what
happens on Monday when the stock market starts trading.
It will
also be interesting to see how the manifestos are then executed. Both
sides have pledged to lavish big sums of money for the rakyat in trying
to woo them.
Acting business features editor Jagdev Singh Sidhu will be keenly watching the developments on Sunday.