The more I read about the #UndiRosak campaign, the more I feel something is not right. I tried to rationalise it, but find no compelling reasons for it.

How does asking people not to vote help #UndiRosak campaigners get what they want? They purportedly dislike both BN and PH. But by not voting, how can they avoid either of the two coalitions governing them? So what difference is the campaign going to make?

If they dislike the likelihood of Tun Mahathir becoming the PM again, they should campaign to vote against PH, as simple as that. Is this not the more direct way of getting what they want? Why go the roundabout way?

I am afraid the agenda of #UndiRosak could be deeper and more devious than that.

I think #UndiRosak campaigners do not want PH to win, but at the same time they “can’t” ask the people to vote for BN. They want to appear neutral to win over fence-sitters

BN is facing too many credibility issues right now. It is probably more palatable to ask the people not to vote than to vote for BN and against PH. This is my take on the situation.

Before Tun Mahathir came onto the scene, there was no #UndiRosak or so-called resentment among certain NGOs, etc.

To me, there are only two possibilities: It is either the PH leadership, including Anwar Ibrahim, is very stupid, or Tun Mahathir is really very effective in galvanising the people.

I am not sure whether Tun Mahathir is effective or not, given his age, past records and his current “out of power” position. I think only the result of the impending general election will determine that.

As for the PH leadership, I don’t think for a minute that they are stupid. I think they have worked out the benefits and downside of Tun Mahathir coming into the picture. It is too late now to pick on Tun Mahathir. The die has been cast; we just need to see the outcome.

It is time for #UndiRosak campaigners to realise that no matter how hard they campaign, one of the two coalitions, either BN or PH, is going to govern this country for the next five years.

If we say we dislike both BN and PH (and sometimes I feel the same way), we still have to make a hard decision on which one we dislike more – which one of the two coalitions is more likely to pursue reforms and bring better governance; which one of the two we are able to pressure, cajole and persuade to hear us more.

So instead of #UndiRosak, I think its campaigners should work with both coalitions to find out which one is more palatable to them. Otherwise, we can only postulate that they have an agenda deeper than #UndiRosak.

TK Chua is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.