BALAKONG, Aug 27 — The campaign in the Balakong state by-election entered its 10th day today, but the momentum has yet to pick up in the case of both the contesting parties.

Apart from a police report lodged by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Wong Siew Ki in response to allegations by the MCA candidate Tan Chee Teong that PH was responsible for vandalising MCA posters and bunting, the ‘election mood’ is still not there.

National politics is busy with discussions and bickering on issues such as the East Coast Rail Link project, 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) and Council of Eminent Persons (CEP), but the constituents of Balakong are more concerned about their own welfare.

It is business as usual for the people here. Their response to the by-election is still lukewarm, unlike in the 14th general election in May where the excitement of talks on politics and aggressive campaigns had taken centre stage in their routine life.

Campaign materials such as party flags and billboards promoting the candidates are also sparse, as Bernama found out.

The Balakong seat fell vacant after the assemblyman, Eddie Ng Tien Chee of DAP, died in a road accident on July 20. He had won the seat by polling a majority of 35,538 votes in a three-cornered contest in the general election on May 9.

This by-election, polling for which is on September 8, is a straight fight between Wong Siew Ki of PH-DAP and Tan Chee Teong of MCA.

The Election Commission has set an unprecedented 21-day campaign period.

Both candidates wasted no time in hitting the campaign trail soon after nomination on Aug 18, with PH having a head start.

The early days of the campaign saw Wong and her team choose to space out their activities with an average of three programmes a day mainly focused on the personal-touch approach, including walkabouts at markets and community-based events.

Tan, on the other hand, had gone full swing, with at least seven activities packed from morning to evening, daily. With his main election theme "Check and Balance”, Tan hopes the constituents will vote him in for him to be an effective opposition in the Selangor legislative assembly.

The campaigns so far have been generally dull except on the several occasions when the contenders took jibes at each other.

Tan, who has promoted himself as the ‘local boy’ of Balakong, has, for instance, questioned Wong’s background and ability in serving the people here as she was considered an outsider. The 32-year-old Wong hails from Ipoh and lives in Serdang.

He has also challenged Wong to fulfil the PH election manifesto promise to abolish the many tolls in the Balakong area.

In response, Wong had described Tan as uncreative in making such a call as the matter was a decision of the federal government.

She had also raised doubt on Tan’s goal to be a "check and balance”, saying the MCA could have played the role when it still had the chance to prevent the many wrongdoings in the previous Barisan Nasional administration.

The PH director for the by-election, Ean Yong Hian Wah, and MCA’s Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, concur that more new strategies and programmes will have to be carried out in the run-up to polling. — Bernama