The moment you enter Melaka from the Ayer Keroh toll plaza right up to the other side of the town on your way to Johor, you will see the streets and buildings lined with thousands of Barisan Nasional (BN) flags, posters and banners.

Even in Kota Melaka itself, a DAP stronghold, the streets have been virtually plastered with BN flags and posters with some super-large banners almost covering some office lots from top to bottom.

The incumbent for this parliamentary seat, DAP's Kerk Kim Hock is being challenged by BN's Wong Nai Chee.

There is no doubt that the BN has won the poster war in Melaka and it is indeed surprising that there are not many DAP posters and banners to be seen.

But the parties may be using different strategies. Observers note that while the BN has an abundance of posters, their ceramah are short and mellow as opposed to the DAP's which are fiery and super-charged, possibly to make up for the lack of publicity material.

Campaigning here is in full swing with candidates and their supporters trying their best to woo voters. Among them is Gan Boon Leong, the former Duyong state assemblyperson, who is helping his son campaign for the seat this time.

Gan is a former bodybuilder who has won the Mr Melaka title. A photo of him in his heyday accompanies campaign materials for his son, Tian Loo, who is taking on DAP's Aw Boon Hua.

DAP ceramah are being held nightly at the Pay Wah secondary school to packed audiences.

The school's hall holds a few hundred people who faithfully stay from start to finish - a period that can last up to four hours. The supporters also generously dig into their pockets when the DAP donation bag makes its rounds.

Support for BN?

There is talk this time around that DAP may lose the Kota Melaka parliamentary seat to BN after holding it since 1969. A survey done among businesses operating at Bandar Hilir at the foot of Saint Paul's Hill showed that they were supporting BN for the coming polls.

Asked why, they said apart from ensuring the survival of their businesses, the ruling coalition would also bring economic stability to the state. They pointed out that Melaka's economy tourism dependent and political instability would hamper the growth of this sector.

Many of those surveyed also revealed they were still haunted by DAP's electoral pact with fellow opposition member PAS during the 1999 polls and fear the former may join up once again with the 'extremist Islamic party'.

"If they can do it in the past, there is no guarantee they will not do it in the future," said one retailer.

The business owners also pointed out that after 35 years of DAP, Kota Melaka has yet to show much development and they hope that progress will be hastened if BN takes over.

This point was brought up by the Bandar Hilir state seat incumbent, BN's Chook Choon Sin in his ceramah. He said a land reclamation project was currently being carried out in a bid to develop the state.

He said 50 percent of the total number of tourists who arrive in the country visited Melaka and the project was to handle their increasing numbers besides enhancing opportunities for locals.

Not helpless

Nevertheless, DAP party workers are in full campaigning mode distributing flyers and leaflets all over town even in BN strongholds.

A Gerakan party official said the opposition was not getting much support and was fishing for sympathy votes.

But a visit to the Pay Fong school hall, where hundreds turn up nightly for the power-packed DAP ceramah, leads one to think that the DAP may not be as helpless as the ruling parties make it out to be.

Sunday will prove to be interesting with the speculation of whether the BN can manage to wrest Kota Raja away from DAP being answered.

Meanwhile, BN continues with its generous use of posters and banners with party workers being seen putting them up along the way to the Ayer Keroh toll plaza at three in the morning.