By Megat Jittendran
PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim’s ‘buck up or pack out’ ultimatum to party top brass and elected representatives would be seen as a warning for members to toe the party line.
For some others, such ultimatum from the party icon would be a resonation of a desperate man trying to pull together his errant comrades.
But all could and should agree that it was a timely warning from the parliamentary opposition leader.
It is time for him to take control of not only PKR but also the warring and unflattering opposition block – the Pakatan Rakyat.
When Pakatan won 82 parliamentary seats, captured four new state governments and retained the north-eastern state of Kelantan in the last general election, many Pakatan leaders thought, and are claiming until today, that the swing was for them.
Little did they realise that Pakatan won by default.
It was Barisan Nasional, which lost.
In March 2008 polls, people had no other alternative to turn to other than Pakatan.
So many Pakatan elected representatives cannot realise, and failed to acknowledge, that they were haughtily sitting in a political comfort zone today because the people were fed up and wanted to teach BN, especially Umno.
These Pakatan representatives have refused to accept reality hence their ego is growing by the day.
Thus, after nearly 20 months since the 12th general election, glaring weaknesses and arrogance have emerged among the Pakatan partners – PKR, DAP and PAS.
PAS leaders are living in a dreamland fantasizing that non-Muslims voted for the party because they have accepted the party Islamic credentials and principles.
Hallucination hd caught them that they have got support across all communities on their own political ground.
PAS leaders had even thought of actualizing the unthinkable – an unity government with arch enemy Umno.
They forgot that PAS gained at Umno’s expense because the people wanted it that way.
PAS leaders such Abdul Hadi Awang, Nasharuddin and Mustafa Ali had conveniently forgotten that they would not have received a strong public support on their own.
The leaders have also abandoned their ‘PAS for All’ slogan.
Now they seem not keen in picking up non-Malay non-Muslim issues.
Surely Islam did not teach them that speaking against the brutal killings carried out by the police against Indians was forbidden or ‘haram’ for instance!
PAS claims to be for all but they championed segregation among Malaysians by forcing a ban on beer sales in so-called Muslim neighbourhoods in Selangor.
Why should PAS force a ban on beer sales?
Why can’t PAS just allow the market forces of supply and demand to decide the sales of beer anywhere?
Why should PAS ‘for all’ classify Malaysian neighbourhoods as Muslim and non-Muslim areas?
DAP, especially the Penang government under Kapitan Lim Guan Eng, believes that it needed only to consolidate its position as number one Chinese-based party in the country.
DAP leaders, especially Kapitan Lim, are increasingly exposing their true colours that they were uninterested in the fate of non-Chinese, especially in Penang.
Perhaps they believe in the myth that the voting pattern of non-Chinese, especially Indians, will not switch back to BN . . . not now, not so soon.
Perhaps the party believes that PKR and PAS would win over the Malays.
Kapitan Lim’s pro-Chinese capitalist policies are proofs to justify this claim.
The demolition of Kampung Buah Pala, once famously known as the Indian High Chaparral among locals who cherished the state historical value, surely undermined Lim’s credibility as ‘a fair and just leader for all’ among the Indians.
His frequent lies during the village crisis further eroded public confidence in his administration.
The frustration of Indians could well boil over to the ballot box in the next election.
They may not support BN, but may not cast their vote for Pakatan either.
Or perhaps the Indians would gang up again under Hindraf to vote against DAP, not against PKR and PAS.
One should realise that when Hindraf criticised Kapitan Lim’s mishandling of Kampung Buah Pala crisis, the human rights leaders and activists refrained from criticising PKR or PAS.
They condemned only Kapitan Lim for cheating the Indians.
Kapitan Lim’s lack of transparency in several land conversion issues did not augur well for his CAT principles based on competency, accountability and transparent.
This has caused discontentment among civil rights groups.
He claims to be travelling in economy class.
But truth is he has become the most travelled Chief Minister of Penang in such a short period.
Many are whispering that the PAP-ruled Singapore has become Kapitan Lim’s second home now.
Of course DAP leaders and cyber troopers would deny all these allegations.
They would enchant that DAP have quality Indians leaders, such as DCM 2 Ramasamy, Sivanesan, Kulasegaran, Karpal Singh and even Sanisvara Rayer.
But Indians have realized that these so-called Indian leaders were actually mandores used by DAP to smoother and tame the community.
Many Pakatan elected representatives were heard talking that Kapitan Lim had destroyed the High Chaparral merely for personal gain.
Lim is said to have told certain Pakatan MPs, who went to see him to seek solution for the village crisis, that he was least bothered about Pakatan losing Indian votes.
He has stressed that he was only keen to safeguard his party’s Chinese vote bank.
He has also told these MPs that it was Anwar’s problem, not his, for any loss of Indian votes.
Although Bagan Pinang by-election was a wake-up call, Kapitan Lim and his Indian mandores are still living in a denial world that Kampung Buah Pala had no impact on Indian voters in the constituency.
However, Anwar seems has realised this.
A switch of Indian votes to BN or against Pakatan in the next election would be detrimental to his chances to become the Prime Minister.
This was a major reason behind Anwar dispatching Zaid Ibrahim to hold talks with Hindraf ultimate leader Waythamoorthy in Singapore for a possible pact.
Anwar knows that a strong Pakatan political block would not have emerged today if not for to aggressive activism and sacrifices made by Hindraf activists.
DAP had conveniently forgotten this but Anwar didn’t.
This is the difference between political opportunists and true leader.
He wants to embrace all his friends in his rough and tough journey to Putrajaya.
Unlike Kapitan Lim, Anwar knows he could not lay his hands on the coveted Holy Grail - for the premiership, without the support of all.
He also knows that he got to put his own house in order and take control of Pakatan political direction.
Although he espouses democracy, at times he should exercise some form of dictatorship within PKR and Pakatan to maintain peace, discipline and order.
He is duty bound to execute order over chaos.
The voters are looking up to him to provide a viable, dynamic and cohesive united political front as the alternate to the ailing and overstaying BN.
Anwar needs to thwart the rapidly deteriorating public confidence in PKR and Pakatan.
He must swiftly address the downslide in Indian and Malay support to the coalition and his leadership.
He must first get rid of many underperforming current PKR elected representatives and replace them with credible candidates the next round.
Kulim, Batu Uban, Kebun Bunga and Batu Maung are among constituencies in the northern region that needed better candidates.
Even DAP and PAS need major surgery on their respective candidature lists.
The common agenda being worked by Zaid now and the imminent registration of Pakatan as an official entity were positive steps.
Anwar must act aggressively from now to put PKR and Pakatan in order because BN is clearly after his head with a sodomy charge.
He must make sure that there would be no crisis in public confidence over Pakatan leadership if the BN-directed ‘Saiful case’ puts him behind bars again.
Anwar’s ultimatum to party top brass, grassroots leaders and elected representatives is just the beginning.
He seems determined to wipe out all these white ants in his party and Pakatan to reconsolidate his position and popularity, and regain public support to capture his Holy Grail.
For the sake of Malaysians, Anwar must do it.
He must make it.
Ends
PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim’s ‘buck up or pack out’ ultimatum to party top brass and elected representatives would be seen as a warning for members to toe the party line.
For some others, such ultimatum from the party icon would be a resonation of a desperate man trying to pull together his errant comrades.
But all could and should agree that it was a timely warning from the parliamentary opposition leader.
It is time for him to take control of not only PKR but also the warring and unflattering opposition block – the Pakatan Rakyat.
When Pakatan won 82 parliamentary seats, captured four new state governments and retained the north-eastern state of Kelantan in the last general election, many Pakatan leaders thought, and are claiming until today, that the swing was for them.
Little did they realise that Pakatan won by default.
It was Barisan Nasional, which lost.
In March 2008 polls, people had no other alternative to turn to other than Pakatan.
So many Pakatan elected representatives cannot realise, and failed to acknowledge, that they were haughtily sitting in a political comfort zone today because the people were fed up and wanted to teach BN, especially Umno.
These Pakatan representatives have refused to accept reality hence their ego is growing by the day.
Thus, after nearly 20 months since the 12th general election, glaring weaknesses and arrogance have emerged among the Pakatan partners – PKR, DAP and PAS.
PAS leaders are living in a dreamland fantasizing that non-Muslims voted for the party because they have accepted the party Islamic credentials and principles.
Hallucination hd caught them that they have got support across all communities on their own political ground.
PAS leaders had even thought of actualizing the unthinkable – an unity government with arch enemy Umno.
They forgot that PAS gained at Umno’s expense because the people wanted it that way.
PAS leaders such Abdul Hadi Awang, Nasharuddin and Mustafa Ali had conveniently forgotten that they would not have received a strong public support on their own.
The leaders have also abandoned their ‘PAS for All’ slogan.
Now they seem not keen in picking up non-Malay non-Muslim issues.
Surely Islam did not teach them that speaking against the brutal killings carried out by the police against Indians was forbidden or ‘haram’ for instance!
PAS claims to be for all but they championed segregation among Malaysians by forcing a ban on beer sales in so-called Muslim neighbourhoods in Selangor.
Why should PAS force a ban on beer sales?
Why can’t PAS just allow the market forces of supply and demand to decide the sales of beer anywhere?
Why should PAS ‘for all’ classify Malaysian neighbourhoods as Muslim and non-Muslim areas?
DAP, especially the Penang government under Kapitan Lim Guan Eng, believes that it needed only to consolidate its position as number one Chinese-based party in the country.
DAP leaders, especially Kapitan Lim, are increasingly exposing their true colours that they were uninterested in the fate of non-Chinese, especially in Penang.
Perhaps they believe in the myth that the voting pattern of non-Chinese, especially Indians, will not switch back to BN . . . not now, not so soon.
Perhaps the party believes that PKR and PAS would win over the Malays.
Kapitan Lim’s pro-Chinese capitalist policies are proofs to justify this claim.
The demolition of Kampung Buah Pala, once famously known as the Indian High Chaparral among locals who cherished the state historical value, surely undermined Lim’s credibility as ‘a fair and just leader for all’ among the Indians.
His frequent lies during the village crisis further eroded public confidence in his administration.
The frustration of Indians could well boil over to the ballot box in the next election.
They may not support BN, but may not cast their vote for Pakatan either.
Or perhaps the Indians would gang up again under Hindraf to vote against DAP, not against PKR and PAS.
One should realise that when Hindraf criticised Kapitan Lim’s mishandling of Kampung Buah Pala crisis, the human rights leaders and activists refrained from criticising PKR or PAS.
They condemned only Kapitan Lim for cheating the Indians.
Kapitan Lim’s lack of transparency in several land conversion issues did not augur well for his CAT principles based on competency, accountability and transparent.
This has caused discontentment among civil rights groups.
He claims to be travelling in economy class.
But truth is he has become the most travelled Chief Minister of Penang in such a short period.
Many are whispering that the PAP-ruled Singapore has become Kapitan Lim’s second home now.
Of course DAP leaders and cyber troopers would deny all these allegations.
They would enchant that DAP have quality Indians leaders, such as DCM 2 Ramasamy, Sivanesan, Kulasegaran, Karpal Singh and even Sanisvara Rayer.
But Indians have realized that these so-called Indian leaders were actually mandores used by DAP to smoother and tame the community.
Many Pakatan elected representatives were heard talking that Kapitan Lim had destroyed the High Chaparral merely for personal gain.
Lim is said to have told certain Pakatan MPs, who went to see him to seek solution for the village crisis, that he was least bothered about Pakatan losing Indian votes.
He has stressed that he was only keen to safeguard his party’s Chinese vote bank.
He has also told these MPs that it was Anwar’s problem, not his, for any loss of Indian votes.
Although Bagan Pinang by-election was a wake-up call, Kapitan Lim and his Indian mandores are still living in a denial world that Kampung Buah Pala had no impact on Indian voters in the constituency.
However, Anwar seems has realised this.
A switch of Indian votes to BN or against Pakatan in the next election would be detrimental to his chances to become the Prime Minister.
This was a major reason behind Anwar dispatching Zaid Ibrahim to hold talks with Hindraf ultimate leader Waythamoorthy in Singapore for a possible pact.
Anwar knows that a strong Pakatan political block would not have emerged today if not for to aggressive activism and sacrifices made by Hindraf activists.
DAP had conveniently forgotten this but Anwar didn’t.
This is the difference between political opportunists and true leader.
He wants to embrace all his friends in his rough and tough journey to Putrajaya.
Unlike Kapitan Lim, Anwar knows he could not lay his hands on the coveted Holy Grail - for the premiership, without the support of all.
He also knows that he got to put his own house in order and take control of Pakatan political direction.
Although he espouses democracy, at times he should exercise some form of dictatorship within PKR and Pakatan to maintain peace, discipline and order.
He is duty bound to execute order over chaos.
The voters are looking up to him to provide a viable, dynamic and cohesive united political front as the alternate to the ailing and overstaying BN.
Anwar needs to thwart the rapidly deteriorating public confidence in PKR and Pakatan.
He must swiftly address the downslide in Indian and Malay support to the coalition and his leadership.
He must first get rid of many underperforming current PKR elected representatives and replace them with credible candidates the next round.
Kulim, Batu Uban, Kebun Bunga and Batu Maung are among constituencies in the northern region that needed better candidates.
Even DAP and PAS need major surgery on their respective candidature lists.
The common agenda being worked by Zaid now and the imminent registration of Pakatan as an official entity were positive steps.
Anwar must act aggressively from now to put PKR and Pakatan in order because BN is clearly after his head with a sodomy charge.
He must make sure that there would be no crisis in public confidence over Pakatan leadership if the BN-directed ‘Saiful case’ puts him behind bars again.
Anwar’s ultimatum to party top brass, grassroots leaders and elected representatives is just the beginning.
He seems determined to wipe out all these white ants in his party and Pakatan to reconsolidate his position and popularity, and regain public support to capture his Holy Grail.
For the sake of Malaysians, Anwar must do it.
He must make it.
Ends
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