SHAH ALAM - Analysts say fears of election fatigue do not arise during the 15th General Election but raise concerns over a one-sided poll as the opposition weakens, coupled with rakyat's rejection to vote as the elections will cost hundreds of millions of ringgit during the hard times.
Political analyst Professor Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin said unlike a by-election upon death of an MP or a state assemblyman, the atmosphere of a general election is different.
"There is no such thing as election fatigue.
"It is an invention by the people who oppose elections and the legitimate democratic way for people to choose their government to govern them which does not happen often,” he told Sinar Daily.
However, the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Institute of Ethnic Studies director said there are fears the election may turn into a non-competitive event with low voter participation as the opposition is perceived weak.
Merdeka Center director, Ibrahim Suffian acknowledged that the public might be unhappy with the amount of money that the government will spend for the next election but it is something unavoidable.
"I am not sure how much the government will spend for the coming general election but I reckon it will be into the tune of hundreds of millions of ringgit.
"Majority of the public would want the government to not waste such funds but things have become anomalous these days,” he said.