In any election, goodies are always expected for the constituents with opposing camps racing to be Santa Claus in return for votes.

azlan And the Hulu Selangor by-election is no different with the Pakatan Rakyat-led state government trying to outdo the might of the BN federal government dishing out "sweeteners" and promises.

BN have been bringing in the big guns with government agencies rolling into the sleepy hollow with allocations and funds.

Meanwhile, PR has also put up a formidable fight by holding their own in the giving out of land, and also by speeding up allocations, which they say is already due even without the by-election.

This is already a major leap for Pakatan to be able to hand out quite a substantial amount, having already been Selangor government for the past two years, instead of having to rely on vague promises.

Bringing in the big guns

deputy prime minister muhyiddin yassin at sekolah menengah sains hulu selangor 020410 02 Early on even before campaigning was legally allowed for the polls, the BN side has bulldozed into town with guns blazing with Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin ( left ) announcing a RM2 million flood-mitigation project.

While the education minister also announced three new primary schools and one secondary school to the mainly semi-rural constituency, his boss Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak upped the ante the next day with a RM32 million housing project for Felda settlers in Gugusan Sungai Dusun.

Only a few days later, Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, who also heads the machinery for the by-election cruised into the estates in SKC Bernam to hand out land titles to 108 families as well as cash to 73 people under the government's senior citizen welfare scheme.

Giving land titles, which is a state matter, has been one of the strategies for Pakatan Rakyat, where tens of thousands of families in Hulu Selangor still live on state-owned land under Temporary Occupation License.

But by taking the high road when it comes to election handouts, the state government has also adopted the official stand of not giving out anything, specifically for the by-election.

NONE "Even before the (Hulu Selangor) elections, we already decided on this (land conversion) policy a long time a go," said Khalid ( right ), flinching at the term "goodies".

Still, he has admitted that processes may have been sped up in Hulu Selangor for the by-election.

Long-term solutions

The air of handouts is unmistakable, with the most obvious sign being newly-tarred roads from Rawang into Kuala Kubu Baru as well as some parts of Batang Kali.

Campaigners from both sides are also sticking to the age-old icebreaker tactic of going from house-to-house, giving the poor some provisions, as well as distributing hampers at the end of every ceramah.

NONE This does not include usual promises by politicians to repair houses, helping the people to sign up for welfare aid as well as organising buffet dinners and lunches.

While the tactic would have worked in the past where voters would show their gratitude by casting their ballots to whoever with deeper pockets, people are now not easily swayed by such notions.

And while the people of Hulu Selangor may witness a windfall in "generosity", much will still have to be done to ensure that the promises made are not mere election promises.

The battle for Hulu Selangor, the 10th by-election since the 2008 general elections, will see a straight fight between MIC's P Kamalanathan and PKR's Zaid Ibrahim.

The voters will cast their ballots this Sunday.