Kelantan Harapan S Hip Hop Infused Song Struggles To Strike A Chord

---

 


Ahead of the six state elections, Pakatan Harapan has launched a song urging Kelantan's voters to boot out the long-ruling PAS state government.
However, the song which calls for change to make Kelantan more developed, appears to be struggling to strike a chord with the public.
The song "Mari Kito Pakat Tukar" and its accompanying music video were published by Kelantan PKR chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad on social media yesterday.
The song, sung mostly in Kelantanese with some English rap lyrics thrown in, fuses traditional gamelan, pop-beats, and hip-hop among others.
It highlights the struggles that plague the state such as a lack of clean water, and poor job opportunities for youths.
It then calls on voters to choose red (Harapan) instead of green (PAS) so that Kelantan can be uplifted to the same level as other more developed states.
However, the reactions from social media users have mostly been negative.

Several critics called the song "self-indulgent" (syok sendiri), and out of touch with Kelantanese voters.
Daniel Teoh, a Chevening scholar in political communication, said it was unlikely that this music video would have any positive impact.
"Even with urban voters, there's no guarantee of a positive impact, let alone rural voters.
"This is almost like Najib Abdul Razak's tactic of inviting (Korean artist) Psy to Penang and hoping BN would win," he tweeted.
This is in reference to a concert BN organised in Penang in 2013 - where Najib tried to get a crowd to voice their support for BN, only to be heckled instead.
Read more: PM asks: Are you ready for BN? Crowd says 'No!'
Likewise, a self-proclaimed Harapan supporter from Kelantan going by the username @aideeddd said the video was unlikely to make a splash.
"As a Kelantanese youth who voted for Harapan, I just want to say that this kind of video will have a very minimal impact to influence Kelantanese who vote PAS-Perikatan Nasional to switch sides.
"Harapan's machinery should start going to villages and give non-stop information about the (federal) government's efforts instead," he tweeted.
Reveal the objective
Others said that BN - PAS' main rival in the state - had tried a similar tactic 10 years ago with a dikir barat song titled “Bo La Wei” but was also unsuccessful.
Public policy consultant Faizal Riduan said the video highlighted why campaigns should have a better focus on their target groups.
"An approach has to be grounded and localised, not bring Kuala Lumpur culture to Kelantan," he said.
Meanwhile, social media marketer Rizwan Abdullah asked Nik Nazmi, who is also the natural resources, environment and climate change minister, to reveal the objective behind the music video, and what considerations were made for its choice of lyrics and music genre.
Kelantan PKR chief Nik Nazmi Nik AhmadHe said he personally believed the song would not work with older voters in Kelantan.
"They don’t understand fancy English or fast-versed words, thus leading to an 'undelivered message' to those groups.
"Why don’t we stick to patriotism and simple messages instead," he said.
The six state elections - involving Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, Penang, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan - are due to be held later this year.
All six states have reportedly reached an agreement to dissolve their legislative assemblies in late June, after which polls must be held within 60 days.
PAS has been in control of Kelantan since 1990.
In last year's general election, PAS together with Bersatu won all parliamentary seats in the state. - Mkini

---