BN’s victory gives Harapan a much-needed jolt
COMMENT Three days ago on Jan 23, I shared my thoughts on the Cameron Highlands by-election with some friends, penning this message: “I hope BN wins. Why?
“I always look at the candidates, not the party. BN’s Ramli (Mohd Nor) is a fresh face, a tough ex-cop, not entangled in dirty party politics before. He will be a welcome change in Parliament.
“DAP’s M Manogaran might be a known fighting cock but a tired, same-old, same-old face in Parliament. He is a former Teluk Intan MP.
“If I am a voter in Cameron Highlands, my vote will go to Ramli also because I think Pakatan Harapan could do with a little jolt. A government in power must not be invincible.
“Whoever wins, the people of Cameron Highlands will get the development and government assistance as promised. So they should be well taken care of. Now, they must vote wisely.
“Then again, I’m only giving my views from afar. I do not know the candidates personally. Neither am I familiar with Cameron Highlands, save for the tea I enjoy daily from there”, I concluded.
I was rooting for a BN victory because I would like to see a stronger opposition in the country. Another extra seat for the opposition BN probably means more than another one in the bag for the powerful Pakatan Harapan government.
Then again, Cameron Highlands was won by the BN, via MIC’s Sivarraajh Chandran in GE14. BN’s victory, in terms of numbers in Parliament, will not really make any difference to both sides.
But it does make a world of difference as a morale boost for the BN as this is its first win in a by-election since GE14.
Several contributing factors are quite clear for this BN’s victory. Let me just pin-point two.
The choice of BN candidate was superb. Ramli Mohd Nor is not a politician and not affiliated to any party. He is an independent candidate riding on the BN platform. He is untainted and carries no ‘baggage’ commonly associated with BN leaders of the past...
Yes, PH gov’t needed much jolt, even if it won. Some of them prefer fighting within or going to the press. They didn’t know the meaning of discipline! Looks very much like a mixed bag of some ‘uneducated’ lots in their crowds. Coming to Cameron Highland, it no big deal. Every one thought PH would lost, by a bigger margin. How to win with a born loser like Mano? Couldn’t even say the right thing! It’s a shame DAP should pick him!
CM by-election proved beyond reasonable doubt that playing racial cards is still the best formula for success. Malaysians should be realistic and pragmatic that its society is still not prepared and ready to discard communal politics and it should be accepted without question. Connected to this, the Chinese, left with no choice, has to support DAP which has the political power and capabilities to protect its rights. While the Malays, they have three choices to pick - Party Bersatu, UMNO and PAS. They will choose the strongest party which they perceive could protect and defend their special position and interests. It is crucial that Party Bersatu be given the necessary help for it to evolve into a strong and a viable party in the PH coalition link to enable it to attract strong Malay support. If it is weak, the Malays will run in droves to support the other Malay based parties. It will result in the fall of the PH government and the rise of the kleptocratic government.
The jolt is still many naive and ignorant folks easily misled by racial and religious bigots. So the author should work hard to inform these people about the many scandals of the previous BN government and that Najib is no more PM and Umno is no more the government !
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