Political chess a necessary evil?
Although Khalid Ibrahim has done a good job as Menteri Besar, he is too stingy and has hoarded up RM2.9 billion in the state coffers. Being thrifty is good but there is no need to be stingy.
Selena Tay, FMT
PKR’s move to have opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to contest the Kajang state seat is a strategy to enhance Pakatan Rakyat’s grip on Selangor state. It is a risky strategy but a necessity in the light of current events in the opposing side where there are many undercurrents going on.
Commenting on the current political situation, Shah Alam MP, Khalid Samad of PAS said, “Someone may be deposed and someone may come back”.
Therefore it is better for Pakatan Rakyat to launch a move to shore up one’s defences before anything untoward happens.
As Sun Tzu has said in The Art Of War: you must know your enemy as well as knowing yourself. When there are rumblings in the BN camp, Pakatan must take heed and act accordingly before it is too late.
Although Khalid Ibrahim has done a good job as Menteri Besar, he is too stingy and has hoarded up RM2.9 billion in the state coffers. Being thrifty is good but there is no need to be stingy.
Moreover, politics and polls are unpredictable. This means that if Pakatan loses in the 14th General Election, all the hard-earned money in the state coffers can be claimed credit by BN.
It is therefore wise for the PKR-led Selangor state government to be more generous towards the rakyat as the state coffers can well afford it. In fact after GST (Goods & Services Tax) is implemented next year, the Pakatan Selangor state government must give out more shopping vouchers to the low income group to help cushion the impact.
As Khalid is stubborn and stingy, PKR’s mission to strengthen the state via the Kajang by-election is a necessary move although it is fraught with risks. Still, PKR hopes that the Kajang voters understand this strategy and will not fall prey to BN’s campaign promises.
Khalid is also not politically savvy. This too is a problem as the state administration is always under siege by its political foes. One has to remember that the death of Teoh Beng Hock was due to shenanigans by Pakatan’s foes to undermine the Selangor state leadership.
One has to be politically cunning to play the game as race and religion is used to trap the Pakatan administration and to put them in a bad light or in a difficult position or both.
Thus to be a Menteri Besar or Chief Minister in a Pakatan-held state, one has to be politically astute. Otherwise, BN will recapture the state. Kedah is an example of this.
