Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and former premier Mahathir Mohamad yesterday held political rallies in Kuala Lumpur minutes away from each other amid the heated election battle.
With many KL residents going back to vote in their home towns, the leaders hope that their message will reverberate all over the country. This is especially so for the opposition, which is locked out of mainstream TV and radio stations.
A main target for both the prime ministerial candidates are Malay Muslim voters whose traditional support for the government has been chipped away by concerns over cost of living issues, according to surveys.
An additional surprise in the campaigning was former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, who is still politically influential. He campaigned for Datuk Seri Najib in 2013, but is now plugging the opposition pact headed by his former boss, Tun Dr Mahathir.
