GE13: Pakatan’s hopes in Perak dimming

 

(The Star) – Lim Kit Siang’s departure from Perak is the clearest sign that Pakatan Rakyat has given up hope of recapturing the state in the general election.

SOMETHING quite unforgettable happened at the recent appreciation gathering that Perak DAP held to send off Lim Kit Siang to Johor. Two of the party’s sworn enemies in Perak, Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham and M. Kulasegaran, posed with their arms around each other and sported big smiles.

The press photographers almost went crazy because they knew just how rare a scene it was two arch rivals acting like best friends. All of them could still remember the scene after the contentious party elections in Perak a couple of years ago when the pair would not even look at each other.

Ngeh, the powerful state DAP chairman, had earlier delivered a rather conciliatory speech at the dinner function during which he spoke about unity, forgiveness and starting afresh. He is an active Methodist church leader and he told the gathering that pastors counselling those about to get married would tell them that quarrels are normal in a marriage, that couples who quarrel also stay married forever.

Everyone laughed but Lim’s expression was quite inscrutable. He has been Ipoh Timur MP for almost 10 years, he has seen the politicking escalate between the Ngeh and Kulasegaran factions and some suspect he is quite relieved that he will soon be far away from it all.

So, is it going to be sugar and spice and everything nice between the two old enemies?

Not exactly. Even Lim has been no match for the powerful cousins of Perak. Ngeh and his younger cousin Nga Kor Ming have continued to dominate and control Perak politics and Lim has not been able to do anything to loosen their grip.

The elder politician’s body and soul is already in Johor where he has caused ripples. On Tuesday, a fashionable middle-aged lady with orange hair was so thrilled to see him in Skudai that she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big kiss, leaving a vivid lipstick print on his cheek.

Lim’s departure from Perak politics basically means that Pakatan Rakyat has given up all hopes of recapturing Perak from Barisan Nasional. Lim would not be taking flight if he thought that Pakatan was about to wrest back Perak. He would be at the centre of the action, lending his weight to the campaign.

Another sign that Pakatan has given up on Perak has to do with all the rumours circulating about Kulasegaran and Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan joining Lim in Johor.

A coalition that is fighting its way back into the seat of government would not be trying to export its heavyweights elsewhere. It would want as many big names as possible around to create a momentum and make up the numbers.

“I don’t know why there are rumours in the last two months. But I am not going to Johor,” said Fong.

Fong is a well-regarded face in Batu Gajah whereas Kulasegaran is synonymous with Ipoh Barat. The latter pretty much handles the running of Ipoh Timur for Lim because the senior man is not the sort to sit in a service centre listening to the everyday woes of the local folk.

Lately, the speculation about Fong has built up to her being dropped. Some alleged that the talk is coming from the cousins’ camp and that it is their way of telling the top leadership to get Kulasegaran and Fong out of Perak.

Party insiders said the cousins want to replace the pair with candidates who are aligned to them.

The cousins have openly crossed swords with Kulasegaran and his belligerent tweets warning the cousins not to be funny with him was the talk of the party.

Earlier this week, Ngeh held a ceramah in Sitiawan at Kampung Koh where Kulasegaran was born. Someone tweeted to ask why Kulasegaran was not invited as a speaker and said that a good Christian would have accommodated him in his own kampung. The tweet was obviously aimed at Ngeh.

The cousins also dislike Fong whom they claim is not a team player; what it means is that she is not in their team. They are also said to have rocked her political base by taking over control of the branches in Batu Gajah.

That is why some have described Lim’s departure as the “great escape” he is now free of the intense politicking in Perak. His inability to temper the ambitions of the cousins has disappointed people in the party but as some have pointed out, Ngeh and Lim go back a long way. They are party comrades as well as family friends.

“Kit Siang had a minimal role in Perak or else things would not be so chaotic,” said a Pakatan insider.

The cousins are now king of the hill in every sense of the word. They are expected to continue to contest dual seats. Ngeh is expected to defend his parliamentary and state seats in Bruas and Sitiawan respectively. Nga will defend his Taiping parliamentary seat but is said to be moving to a state seat nearer Ipoh because he plans to put a new face to contest in Pantai Remis.

PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also been talking about contesting in Perak. The Pakatan side said he wants to do for Perak what Lim is doing in Johor. But some think it is because Permatang Pauh is not looking as secure as before.

Pakatan in Penang is struggling with the Malay vote the way Barisan Nasional is struggling with the Chinese vote and that may explain why Anwar is keeping his options open.

Few believe that he will risk it in Perak. They think he is playing mind-games because he would want to be in Penang which Pakatan is assured of winning rather than go to Perak where Pakatan has lost hope.