BN should resist drastic measures
By John Lim & Chua Sue-Ann, The Edge
With Judicial Commissioner Ridwan Ibrahim's decision to restrain Perak Speaker V. Sivakumar from convening any “unlawful” meetings under a raintree, mamak stalls or car parks, it looks as if the game is up for Pakatan Rakyat.
They've lost at the Palace, at the court, they've lost police and civil service support. They've lost every key fight since the political crisis began. But don’t expect them to give up the fight.
PR is bound to keep the impasse going for as long as necessary. Every time they do something to thwart the new regime from taking over, Barisan Nasional reacts in ways that further alienates Perak voters.
As it is, PR already has public sympathy on its side and it’s probably enough to take them through the General Election and win back the state.
But in forcing the continuing state of limbo, PR will be seen to be championing the people's call for fresh elections, not the cause of an ungovernable state.
A recent Merdeka Center survey showed that some 76% of voters feel that the people, through elections, should decide on who should form the government.
That is not likely to happen though. BN doesn’t want fresh election and neither does the Palace. Perhaps then, the only likely solution would come from the courts. But court battles are usually long and drawn-out.
Whether BN has the patience to wait the game out is questionable. Judging from the speed in which BN wrested control of Perak, patience is not a virtue that they are likely to hold over power. It's likely that they want this issue resolved as soon as possible.
If the state of limbo should continue and push comes to shove, certain forces within BN might be tempted to use draconian measures to end the impasse.
Some pundits have warned that the Speaker could potentially be held under the dreaded ISA or that emergency rule might be imposed in Perak (noting that this has happened before, in Kelantan in 1977 under somewhat similar circumstances).
While BN would unquestionably gain control of the state through such means, they would not only totally lose the hearts of the people they govern, but incite resentment against themselves—a fact that will be evident when the next General Election comes around.
Emergency rule is the most powerful and decisive weapon in its political arsenal, it is also the most self-destructive one. That much, the PR knows and is playing for.
The best solution is for BN to give up the political maneuverings and to let the people decide. After all, they will have their say, sooner or later. It’s just a matter of time.
