Kuala Besut By-election - Cyber campaigns play no significant role

Cyber campaigns play no significant role in the Kuala Besut by-election especially in this traditional fishermen constituent where the levels of poverty and unemployment rate are high.

The information and communication technologies have high-performance Information Warfare capability which has been embraced enthusiastically.

Although the impact of the Internet is being felt and the ever far-reaching power of internet for the computer-literate is undeniable, but in the low level current state of infrastructure and economic advancement, the performance remains questionable.

 

Traditional business-direct to-voters are by far the most effective way of political campaign during this by-election.  

The campaigning period for the Kuala Besut by-election saw both Barisan Nasional and PAS candidates on the race to reach out to as many voters as possible. Both are expected to offer an insight into the infrastructure needs of Kuala Besut.

The Kuala Besut state constituency has 17,683 voters including 1,149 absentee voters, of which the Malays make up 17,463; Chinese 125; and the rest are other races. In the May 5 general election, Barisan Dr A. Rahman Mokhtar won Kuala Besut with a majority of 2,343 votes against Napisah Ismail of PAS.

The seat fell vacant following the death of Umno's assemblyman Dr A. Rahman Mokhtar of lung cancer on June 26 and polling falls on 24 July after a 12-day campaign period.

 

New faces the former a Besut Drainage and Irrigation Department engineer Civil engineer Tengku Zaihan Che Ku Abd Rahman, 37, is defending the seat for the BN while a class A contractor specializing in construction and civil engineering projects, Endot alias Azlan Yusof, 48, of PAS is triggering  the challenge.