Six things we've learned about GE-13 so far

1) Lim Kit Siang is on a do or die mission in Gelang Patah

The 72-year-old DAP strongman is certainly courageous. He's taken on arguably the biggest challenge of any opposition candidate as well as the toughest battle of his career. Abdul Ghani Othman, his rival in Johor's Gelang Patah seat, is the former MB of the state. Johor is the birthplace of Umno and traditionally its most redoubtable fort.

Finally, the Gelang Patah constituency includes the prestigious Iskandar Development Region, which you can be sure Barisan will fight tooth and nail to keep. BN will be throwing everything, including the kitchen sink, to ensure it doesn't fall into opposition hands.

If Kit Siang were to fail to wrest the seat, he will be hoping and praying Pakatan nails Putrajaya. If not, considering his age, it's possible a loss could spell the end of his political career. 

ALSO READ: Kit Siang accuses Ghani of being Dr M's proxy

2) BN may have miscalculated badly in fielding Zulkifli Noordin and in not contesting Pasir Mas

Don't let the image, circulating on Facebook now, of an Indian man kissing Zulkifli Noordin on nomination day fool you. The fielding of the Perkasa VP has aroused fury in the Indian community due to his previous baiting and insulting of the community as well as of the Hindu religion.

By picking the hardliner as their candidate for the Shah Alam seat, Barisan has pissed off a lot of Indians - who in 2008 abandoned the ruling coalition in droves. His selection, in the eyes of the community, runs contrary to BN's message of transformation as he is seen as an extremist.

This problem is compounded further by the coalition's decision to not contest Pasir Mas, leaving it as a straight fight between Perkasa president (and incumbent) Ibrahim Ali and Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz.

This is being seen as Umno tacitly accepting Ibrahim, considering  how the controversial and divisive politician was recently publicly endorsed by influential former Umno president and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Ibrahim Ali is NOT liked by the non-Malays of the country due to his inflammatory statements regarding citizenship, race and religion. You can be sure the situation in Pasir Mas will have been noted by the non-Malays and it may end up costing Barisan some brownie points.

ALSO READ: BN pulls out, Ibrahim in straight fight in Pasir Mas

3) BN's courtship of Hindraf an exercise in futility?

Najib Razak's move in bringing Hindraf into the Barisan fold may not have done much to convince the Indian community of Barisan's sincerity in improving their lot. In fact, it may have turned the Indian sentiment against P. Waytha Moorthy's faction of the Hindu Rights Action Force, which signed the pact with Najib Razak. Many in the community view Waytha's actions as a betrayal of everything Hindraf once stood for.

With regards to Hindraf, Indian sentiment is now almost universally behind Waytha's brother P. Uthayakumar - who leads the other faction in the splintered movement. The Indian community itself is no longer as pliable as it was pre-2008, when Hindraf raised the community's awareness with their street protests.

Najib has dangled a carrot before Waytha's Hindraf group by accepting their blueprint to correct the ailments affecting Indians - a blueprint which Waytha claims was rejected by Pakatan Rakyat. Rumours abound that there is also a Cabinet position for Waytha himself in Najib's administration.

Whether it works or not remains very much to be seen.

ALSO READ: Hindraf's victory riddled with ambiguity
                     Hindraf dropped human rights fight for Najib pact

4) Gelang Patah is THE hottest seat in GE13

Back to Gelang Patah. It's not just politicians that are casting covetous glances at Gelang Patah.
Going by public reaction, it seems like all eyes are on Gelang Patah.

There's massive interest in anything to do with the constituency - whether it's Lim Kit Siang shedding public tears, or Abdul Ghani talking tough, or even in hearing what Gelang Patah residents think - that's unmatched in any other constituency in the country, from Pekan to Permatang Pauh to Putrajaya.

Expect to hear a lot more about this place, which prior to April 2013, most Malaysians had not heard about.

Currently there are rumours of problems with the Pakatan machinery there, questions as to which way the Chinese community (which is the dominant demographic in Gelang Patah) will vote as well as questions on whether the two candidates' high risk strategy will pay off.

It is likely that, to the victor will a Cabinet position go - if his party wins the Federal government, that is. The loser faces a long spell on the political sidelines and in Lim's case, perhaps even political retirement.

ALSO READ: Straight fight in Gelang Patah

5) BN has shaken things up with its candidates list - what effect will it have?

The list of big names dropped by Barisan reads like a Who's Who of the Malaysian political scene. At the federal level alone, we've seen 'taikors' like Syed Hamid Albar, Rais Yatim, Ng Yen Yen, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Koh Tsu Koon and Peter Chin sitting out the elections with a raft of new faces replacing them.

Then there has been the movement of MPs to state seats and vice versa. Former deputy International Trade and Industry minister Mukhriz Mahathir is contesting the Kedah state seat of Ayer Hitam, with, some say, an eye on the MB's post.

Meanwhile, Malacca chief minister Mohd Ali Rustam has gone up to federal level and possibly a Cabinet position, should he win. Youthful former MP Idris Haron will be vying for a Malacca state seat instead, and some say he's been tapped up to be the Malacca CM should Barisan retain the state in the GE.

The question is: will Barisan's rank and file rally behind the party leadership? One of the big reasons behind Barisan's abject performance in GE 2008 was that many party members voted for the opposition, as they were unhappy with the party's leadership at that point in time.

This time round, they have had to contend with issues like the outright revolt of dropped candidates in Penang and the sudden sacking of seasoned Wanita Umno deputy chief Kamalia Ibrahim, among others. It's a problem very much on the radar of the party brass, as proven by their calls to party members to close ranks and avoid internal sabotage.

Whether this has any effect will be seen in the coming weeks.

ALSO READ: BN revolts simmer in Johor
               

Protests mount in Penang by disgruntled BN hopefuls



6) MCA's bold revamp. Will the party come out tops in this high-stakes game of poker?

MCA president has arguably made the boldest decision of them all - to drop heavy hitters like MCA vice-presidents Ng Yen Yen and Gan Ping Sieu as well as ex-president Ong Tee Keat. He knows that he faces a big fight in regaining the trust of the Chinese community, which has left the MCA in droves over the past few years.

Like the Barisan Nasional leadership, Soi Lek is banking on his raft of new faces to prove to the rakyat that MCA is serious about transforming itself.

It's a bold step. On the upside, the rakyat may feel more comfortable voting in these fresh faces who are unencumbered by the baggage previous candidates had. The downside is that, if this fails, MCA will see its relevance and influence in the BN coalition severely reduced, considering it has not many old heads left in the corridors of power.

ALSO READ: MCA's Pandan candidate warned of sabotage