Throughout the Sanggang by-election campaign, the Barisan Alternative and the DAP sent out one constant message - to urge every Malaysian Chinese voter to come out and vote on polling day for democracy and a more just and equal society and not to succumb to the MCA and Gerakan campaign of lies and falsehoods that DAP was co-operating with PAS to make the Chinese "an oppressed race" losing their customs and traditional rights.
In the event, the DAP did not succeed in making a greater impact on the Chinese voters in Sanggang, but we cannot allow lies and falsehoods about the by-election to remain unchallenged, e.g. that the Opposition had resorted to dirty tactics to try to instil fear so that the people, especially the Chinese, would not go out to vote.
Mahathir’s claim that the Barisan Nasional’s victory in Sanggang was due to voters’ realisation that the ruling coalition is still the best party which does not abuse its position or resort to dirty tactics is most ourageous when the Barisan Nasional had been responsible for its usual stock of unfair and dirty tricks and tactics in the by-election.
Two events on the Sanggang by-election nomination day became criticial campaign issues in the by-election. The first was the Pahang Mentri Besar, Datuk Adnan Yaakob’s "lewd" gesture while the other was an initially little-noticed PAS banner with the words "Tolak Secularisme" (Reject Secularism).
The Sanggang by-election result showed that the Barisan Alternative attempt to make Adnan’s "lewd" gesture a major by-election campaign issue had not been as successful as the Barisan National attempt to make the PAS banner rejecting secularism as a central campaign issue, particularly among the non-Malay voters.
(3/4/2000)