By Mohd Hisham Abdul Rafar
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 (Bernama) -- Manifestos are part and parcel of
any general election. They also play a vital role in determining the
success or defeat of an electoral candidate or a political party.
The word 'manifesto' is being bandied about increasingly in the media
and in conversations among the people in the run-up to the 13th General
Election, particularly with regard to promises made by political
parties prior to the last general election and as to whether they have
been delivered or not.
So, what is a manifesto, actually? The Oxford Dictionary defines it
as "a public declaration of policy and aims, especially one issued
before an election by a political party or candidate."
Che Hamdan Che Mohd Razali, political science lecturer at Universiti
Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in Dungun, Terengganu, is of the opinion that a
good manifesto is one that can inspire the desire among voters to choose
a political party or candidate to represent them.
"Of course, the candidate plays an important role but the voters also
want to know what is the manifesto or declaration being offered by the
party," he told Bernama.