Most of the election candidates who turned up for the launch of the Penang Barisan Nasional manifesto on Monday looked frazzled to say the least.

The campaign toll was telling on them and one normally well-groomed lady candidate contesting a seat in Seberang Prai looked seriously deprived of her beauty sleep. She was not even wearing lipstick.

But the long days and late nights of the past week were most apparent on outgoing Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon who had the look of someone with a million things to do before polling.

This is a challenging election for Penang Barisan, especially for the non-Malay parties.

Gerakan leaders have been openly talking about the “sound of silence” in Penang.

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Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein left Permatang Pauh on Friday in a better mood than when he arrived.

He had been up till 2am the night before, going on his rounds in this controversial constituency.

Permatang Pauh has been a PKR seat since 1999 and Umno is quite desperate to get it back. Permatang Pauh has been the black dot in what is otherwise an Umno-controlled Seberang Prai.

Hishammuddin, according to Penang Umno Youth chief Datuk Salim Bari, is convinced that the mood this time around is different.

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Reporters have mobbed Teng Chang Yeow everywhere he has gone since news broke that he may be the next Penang Chief Minister.

Just a few days ago, the boyish-looking politician was just another Barisan Nasional candidate vying for a fourth term in the Padang Kota state seat.

Now he is like a rock star. People rush to shake his hands and reporters pursue him from one event to another. Teng has been overwhelmed by the surge in attention.

“He has not been picking up the phone or answering our calls and that’s not like him because he’s one of the nicest guys around,” said one reporter.

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To the uninitiated, Kota Baru can be a bit of a surprise. Over the past year or so kopitiams have sprung up in the city. A number of them are "hip" and came with WiFi.

It is a common sight these days to see young people with laptops surfing the Internet at these kopitiams while sipping coffee.

Even smaller hotels, home stays and the bigger Petronas stations are all wired up. The nice bit is that it is all free.

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This morning I spent some time at the BN operations centre for Tanjung Bungah/Bukit Bendera.

Contesting the state assembly and parliament seats are the respected Chia brothers, Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye and Chia Loong Thye. Kwang Chye, the older of the two, is the more prominent politician and also the secretary general of Gerakan. Younger Chia, who is a senior lawyer and the Gerakan legal bureau chief in Penang, is contesting for the first time.
 
Already, the opposition candidates have hurled accusations of nepotism. The two brothers, known for their cool demeanour. are taking it in their stride and are campaigning hard. Outside their operations centre hangs a huge banner showing both brothers waving at onlookers.
 
Loong Thye waved goodbye to me as he rushed off to another meet-the-people session. I am a voter in Tanjung Bungah and Bukit Bendera.

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I was at a DAP political rally two nights ago. It was held at their head office in Georgetown.

At around 8pm, the crowd swelled. When Lim Guan Eng arrived, there was hardly breathing space along the pathway outside the party headquaters.
 
The candidates introduced themselves and gave fiery speeches. Ng Wei Aik, a first time candidate contesting for the Komtar state assembly seat, told me that he will be calling for a press conference the next day to highlight the appalling condition of Komtar. Apparently, incumbent Datuk Lim Gim Soon's slogan is "Komtar Good, Komtar Best". What is for sure, may the best man win.
 
Although there is no repeat of the previous Tanjung battles, the battle to win the hearts and minds of the people has started in Tanjung. The parliament seat was won by Chow Kon Yeow of DAP. His challenger is Khaw Veon Sze of BN-Gerakan.

It takes some getting used to, the sight of Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop walking through a roadside pasar malam in a remote village in Seberang Prai and shaking hands with fishmongers and vegetable traders.

Up to a week ago, the Second Finance Minister's life had revolved around the high-powered world of finance and fiscal policy. But his candidacy in Tasek Gelugor has meant an abrupt change in routine and he has had to hit the campaign trail running.

The power suit has given way to a nondescript blue and white Barisan Nasional shirt. Even his wife Puan Sri Fawziah Begum Abu Bakar donned a blue baju kurung and tudung.

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Most West Malaysians get totally confused when they try to figure out Sabah politics. 

The combination of seemingly indecipherable Kadazan Dusun, Bajau and Suluk names along with the steadfast refusal of the Sabahans to arrange their politics like ours – “I’m Malay, you’re Chinese and he’s Indian: don’t cross the line!” – is just plain confusing.

Because in Sabah, politics is not just about race. Political life across the South China Sea has evolved differently and instead of sneering we should be learning from our brothers and sisters in North Borneo.

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Firecrackers were exploding in the distant background as DAP leader Lim Guan Eng stood on top of a makeshift stage (actually it was a small lorry) speaking in a mixture of Mandarin, English and Southern Hokkien.

The Chinese New Year may be over but the festive mood seems to have lingered on thanks in no small part to the start of the general election campaign.

Penang will see fierce battles in the days ahead and the DAP shifted right away into campaign mode after nominations closed on Sunday morning.

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I was informed by a friend that PKR was organising a political rally at 8pm on Nomination Day. When I reached the Rifle Range flats at around 9pm, cars and motorcycles already filled both sides of the road.

The rally started with a speech by the opposition parliamentary candidate Liew Chin Tong of DAP and followed by the Kebun Bunga state candidate Jason Ong of PKR.

When both DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng and PKR defacto leader Anwar Ibrahim arrived, the crowd of two thousand began to chant their name. It was obvious that Anwar got the loudest cheer. An onlooker commented that Anwar was more eloquent than Guan Eng.

Earlier in the day, the BN team visited the area and promised to deliver on their promises. Both PKR and DAP are calling for a change and are urging voters to deny BN its two-third majority.

It is certain that the battle has begun.

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