Calon dan Manifesto dalam Pilihan Raya di Malaysia: Pengaruh dan Cabaran dalam Politik Kontemporari

Candidates and Manifestos in Malaysian Elections:Influences and Challenges in Contemporary Politics

Abstract

ABSTRAK

Kajian ini membincangkan aliran pengaruh kepada rakyat dan perpecahan undi rakyat di Malaysia terhadap calon dan manifestonya dalam Pilihan Raya Kontemporari. Pilihan Raya Umum (PRU) ke-14 2018 dan PRU ke-15 (2022) telah menyaksikan perubahan ketara perpecahan undi kepada parti-parti yang bertanding berdasarkan calon yang diletakkan dan manifesto yang dibawa. Keputusan politik rakyat Malaysia semasa PRU ke-14  menunjukkan buat pertama kali dalam sejarah politik pilihan raya di negara ini bahawa berlakunya perubahan pemerintahan iaitu Barisan Nasional (BN) telah tumbang kepada pakatan pembangkang ,Pakatan Harapan (PH). Penilaian keputusan  menunjukkan bahawa wujudnya satu fenomena baharu atau kebangkitan pengundi dalam menilai wakil rakyat yang dilihat lebih layak berdasarkan peribadi calon tersebut dan agenda utama yang menjadi pegangan utama. Namun begitu, dinamika politik Malaysia sekali lagi menyaksikan fenomena yang agak luar biasa ketika PRU ke-15 apabila pengundi muda baharu dan partisipasi politik itu telah mengalami transisi khususnya terhadap pendedahan calon yang bertanding. Justeru adalah menjadi tujuan penulisan kajian ini untuk menganalisis pengaruh dan cabaran calon dan manifesto menerusi proses politik kontemporari. Metod yang digunakan dalam penulisan kajian ini adalah rujukan data primer iaitu keputusan PRU 2018 dan PRU 2022 manakala rujukan data sekunder adalah daripada sumber bercetak dan juga maklumat atas talian untuk mengukuhkan analisis mendalam bagi penulisan kajian ini. Dapatan dan perbincangan kajian menunjukkan bahawa faktor imej atau peribadi pemimpin dan parti, peranan media sosial dan perang persepsi telah berjaya memberi pengaruh besar terhadap pemahaman pengundi. Justeru keputusan PRU tersebut menunjukkan bahawa partisipasi politik bersifat fleksibel dan berseni serta tiada yang mustahil dalam proses politik.

Kata Kunci: calon, manifesto, Malaysia, pengundi, pilihan raya

ABSTRACT

This study discusses the flow of influence towards voters in Malaysia’s election based on candidates and his manifestos in contemporary election era. The 14th General Election (GE) 2018 and the 15th GE have seen a significant change in the division of votes based on parties that have been contested and candidates that represent the party and their own manifestos brought. The Malaysian political decision shows that for the first time in the country’s electoral political history political change the Barisan Nasional (BN) has lost its way to the opposition coalition, Pakatan Harapan (PH). The ‘extraordinary’ 2018 general election results show new phenomenon on the rise of voters in evaluating the elected candidates who are more qualified based on their personality and the main agenda brought up. Nevertheless, the dynamics of Malaysian politics once again witnessed unusual phenomenon during 15th GE, emergence of new young voters rise up and transition of political participation experienced especially through the exposure of the candidates who contested. Therefore, the purpose of this study to analyze the influence and challenges of candidates and manifestos through the contemporary political process. The methods used in the writing of this study are the primary data reference of the 2018 and 2022 General Elections while the secondary data references are from printed sources as well as online information to strengthen the in-depth analysis of this article. The findings and discussion of the study show that the image or personality/personal damage of leaders and parties, social media role and the war of perception, has created a wave that eventually influenced voters in the general election. Thus the general election results show that political science is dynamic and artistic and that nothing is impossible in a political process.

Keywords: candidates, election, Malaysia, manifestos, voters