THE last leg of the battle for Cameron Highlands is heating up as the country’s top politicians make their way up to the hilly constituency.
Big names such as PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Umno leader Khairy Jamaluddin are among those who had made, and are expected to leave a mark on this by-election.
On Friday, Prime Minister and Bersatu chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is scheduled to be in Sungai Koyan and work his magic to win the Malay and Orang Asli support.
Despite the participation of four candidates, it is generally accepted that Cameron Highlands is witnessing a straight fight between Pakatan Harapan's M. Manogaran and Barisan Nasional's Ramli Mohd Nor.
The question is, will Manogaran finally win the coveted parliamentary seat or will PH suffer another defeat in the Malay and Orang Asli heartland?
For now, PH is fearing the worst. It knows that it is not doing well in raking in support from the two segments that, if combined, boasts the biggest voting bloc at 55 per cent.
BN too, is not taking chances. With PH now governing as the federal ruling party, there is a concern that the said voting bloc might split or shift its allegiance due to long term interests.
The burden of challenge is however weighs heavier on PH. Losing Cameron Highlands would mark its first defeat after a streak of victories in Sungai Kandis, Seri Setia, Balakong and Port Dickson by-elections.
It would be an insult to its image as a ruling party, which is already beleaguered by various issues including national study loans and fuel prices.
Was PH prepared for the setbacks it is facing in Cameron Highlands now?
Three days into PH's campaign, which is being led by DAP, murmurs of discontent were heard soon after the team realised it is not making progress in the Malay and Orang Asli areas.
Party insiders claim that some tok batin or Orang Asli village heads even refused to attend DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang's events, and the rest of the community did not appear in droves.
Even door-to-door visits in Sungai Koyan where DAP leaders had been busy frequenting, were supposedly not greeted with smiles.
"Some looked at us in disdain, or as if we were just a nuisance. We do not feel welcome at times," said a party source.
The lack of progress were compounded by the alleged threatening statement by PKR's Senator Bob Manolan and several allegations of a abusing a government agency for the campaign.
At a fundraiser dinner in Kampung Raja on Saturday night, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng appeared to be irritable soon after he was about to be mobbed by journalists at the end of the event. He refused to take questions. It was at the end of the first week of campaign.
"Soon after the dinner, he called up everyone (involved in campaigning) and election director Wong Kah Woh for a meeting in Tanah Rata that night.
"He (Guan Eng) was angry during the meeting. He said we were not doing enough campaign works," said a source.
Worse, it was later realised that coordination between PH parties in the campaign was cluttered and without in-depth consultation.
"Suffice to say DAP wants to campaign in Malay and Orang Asli areas, whereas such spots are more suitable to be handled by PKR or Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.
"So there is a mismatch in fielding the right campaign team from the start. That is why Kit Siang for instance, did not receive a warm response during the first week of campaign," said another PH insider based in the state.
Towards the end of the first week, Guan Eng announced that Dr Mahathir would arrive Friday to help convince the Malay and Orang Asli communities to vote for PH.
"We put our hope in him," Guan Eng was quoted as saying.
Dr Mahathir however, is expected to be only present at two events - the first will be held in Pos Betau and the other in Sungai Koyan.
However, sources said DAP had earlier requested for Dr Mahathir to be available for the whole day.
"But it is a request that the Prime Minister's Office could not meet due to several reasons. Among others, the presence of a prime minister will require the fulfillment of government protocols, such as the use of government vehicles for security.
"That could be misconstrued as utilising government assets for campaigning. It is a rather tricky situation. However, the prime minister has agreed to only attend to events in order to minimise any impending damage."
When met recently, DAP political education director Liew Chin Tong said the lack of communication coverage such as phone and internet networks in the interiors, have left the Orang Asli community oblivious to current political goings-on.
Now, it appears that even PH's sophisticated use of big data and social media for campaign is nowhere near useful.
Regardless of any punditry, there remains however a chance for PH to create miracles through non-Malay votes and split in Malay votes.
A miracle, nonetheless.