COMMENT | State performance overshadowed by federal politics

COMMENT | The state election campaigns have officially started. It’s election season – the promises and the goodies coming out are inevitable. It has been common for decades. Rather than policies, the practice has been to entice voters financially.

This week’s announcement of RM100 and payments to civil servants and civil servant retirees are not new.

That they are coming from the federal government during state polls speaks to how these polls are being interpreted as a reflection of the performance and popularity of the Anwar Ibrahim government even by the government itself.

With the economy the main issue facing voters, concerns with the cost of living are at the forefront.

What differentiated this week’s announcement was that the financial incentives were accompanied by a broad policy platform on the economy, one that hopefully will stimulate much-needed discussion on the main issue that Malaysians (and those who are voting) are concerned with.

What is not fully appreciated, however, is...