PKR needs new strategies?
PKR must strive to consolidate its position and enlarge its membership base while it devises new plans on how to lead an assault on BN.
Amir Ali, FMT
One of the major tools used by Barisan Nasional in the recently concluded (or not) 13th general election was the government controlled media, so called the mainstream media (MSM) and it damaged Pakatan Rakyat’s chances in remote areas.
What the citizens in townships and cities across Malaysia have is the internet as the alternative to the MSM, but that too has showed its limits to a certain extent, since it cannot reach those who are not virtually connected.
In the remote areas in Sabah, Sarawak and in the peninsular villages plus the areas where Pakatan is not allowed to campaign such as the Felda areas, the internet does not seem to be as popular as the local TV1, TV2 and TV3 plus the 4,5,6,7,8,9 and 14 which were also abused during the electoral period.
Then we have the penetration powers of Utusan Malaysia, the Star and other MSM newspapers which were in full support of BN, demonising Pakatan in the process and not giving the opposition any chance to present its criticism of the government or its projects for a better society.
All through 2012, the opposition had problems penetrating the villages in several states and it was an accepted fact among Pakatan elements that this would hurt their chances of gaining more seats in Parliament.
PKR was even more aware of the problem, knowing that it could not depend entirely on PAS and DAP was in an even worse situation with regard to Malay majority areas in the villages.
PAS, as it was proven during the 13th general election, was in competition with PKR and DAP in many seats and went to great lengths to ensure that some Pakatan candidates fail to get elected altogether.
The hope among these PAS elements was that by doing so, they would kill PKR-DAP’s chances of getting more seats while they would help their party get more seats at the federal level.
With such an attitude, it is comprehensible that PKR elements on the ground in many areas felt difficult to penetrate some of the darkest and most pro-Umno territories.
PKR and Pakatan had little problems in getting the support of the urban folks and that they will do even better in 2013, but the real problem was how to get the message to the hardcore, fixed deposits and diehard Umno elements.
Some students, in their efforts to enlarge the scope of Pakatan’ penetration, tried to enter the Felda and other kampung areas but were chased off by Umno reps. Their leaflets and Buku Jingga were seized.
At times, the authorities were roped in to stop the students and activists from distributing opposition literature in the remote areas, at least as claimed by Pakatan.
