This must indeed be another sign of the kind of new politics that has arrived in Malaysia.
Before 2008, whenever a by-election is pending anywhere in Malaysia, the punters would have put their money on Barisan Nasional. They were those sad times that even if you put the BN symbol on a cow, I would still expect the poor animal to win the by-election hands down!
After the March 8 general election however, the BN traditional formulae of racial posturing, media manipulation, development Maggie Mee, and downright vote buying seem to have lost their magic, as they lost four by-elections in a row within one year in West Malaysia.
The forthcoming Penanti by-election looks like another losing battle for the BN. This kind of anticipation in favour of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat before a by-election was unheard of just a few years ago.
It is also unprecedented that the BN chairperson and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has floated his idea that BN should stay out of the Penanti by-election.
This is a good sign. It means that the Election Commission will not rule the PKR state assemblyperson for Penanti Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin's resignation letter as invalid. One can never be sure about such thing in Malaysia.
Najib's reticence about BN participation in the Penanti by-election, at least in his public statements, seems to have arisen from his feeling that the Malaysian public are by-election fatigued.
By-elections are expensive, as the mainstream media are quick to echo. The BN government has to concentrate on managing the nation's economy within the frosty winter of an economic meltdown. The by-election is unnecessary, and so on.
The chief Chinese representatives in the BN cabinet, Ong Tee Kiat of the MCA and Koh Tsu Koon of Gerakan, immediately purred in concurrence. I will be surprised if they do anything otherwise.
The real truth behind Najib's unwillingness to engage BN in another electoral tussle with the Pakatan coalition is simply that he is afraid to lose another by-election to the opposition, thereby giving steam to the opposition machinery in a long-running precarious war for the hearts and minds of Malaysians.
Having been nurtured in a political greenhouse, perhaps the second generation of any political family dynasty can never display the kind of iron in the soul as shown by the first generation of political leaders. That kind of fighting spirit cannot be transmitted through the biological genes.
(Source: Malaysiakini)
Before 2008, whenever a by-election is pending anywhere in Malaysia, the punters would have put their money on Barisan Nasional. They were those sad times that even if you put the BN symbol on a cow, I would still expect the poor animal to win the by-election hands down!
After the March 8 general election however, the BN traditional formulae of racial posturing, media manipulation, development Maggie Mee, and downright vote buying seem to have lost their magic, as they lost four by-elections in a row within one year in West Malaysia.
The forthcoming Penanti by-election looks like another losing battle for the BN. This kind of anticipation in favour of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat before a by-election was unheard of just a few years ago.
It is also unprecedented that the BN chairperson and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has floated his idea that BN should stay out of the Penanti by-election.This is a good sign. It means that the Election Commission will not rule the PKR state assemblyperson for Penanti Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin's resignation letter as invalid. One can never be sure about such thing in Malaysia.
Najib's reticence about BN participation in the Penanti by-election, at least in his public statements, seems to have arisen from his feeling that the Malaysian public are by-election fatigued.
By-elections are expensive, as the mainstream media are quick to echo. The BN government has to concentrate on managing the nation's economy within the frosty winter of an economic meltdown. The by-election is unnecessary, and so on.
The chief Chinese representatives in the BN cabinet, Ong Tee Kiat of the MCA and Koh Tsu Koon of Gerakan, immediately purred in concurrence. I will be surprised if they do anything otherwise.
The real truth behind Najib's unwillingness to engage BN in another electoral tussle with the Pakatan coalition is simply that he is afraid to lose another by-election to the opposition, thereby giving steam to the opposition machinery in a long-running precarious war for the hearts and minds of Malaysians.
Having been nurtured in a political greenhouse, perhaps the second generation of any political family dynasty can never display the kind of iron in the soul as shown by the first generation of political leaders. That kind of fighting spirit cannot be transmitted through the biological genes.
(Source: Malaysiakini)
1 comment:
najib doesn't have a soul...he sold it to his husband ( no, not a typo) Rosmah and Rosmah in turn mortgage it to TDM and TDM auction it to the higest bidder...And the higest bidder is...hmm...I don't need to tell you who it is right!
Post a Comment