Hudud caused DAP’s loss in Teluk Intan

Kim Quek, The Malaysian Insider

I refer to Dr Ong Kian Ming’s review of the Teluk Intan by-election, published in Malaysiakini under title “In Dyana’s loss, Pakatan must look hard at itself”.

Fair comments and analysis from Ong. Chinese support to DAP dwindling from 85% to 70% means Gerakan has doubled its Chinese support from 15% to 30%.  What has caused this drastic swing?

It can’t be due to local issues as these have always been there in every election, and certainly couldn’t have caused such dramatic swing in an interval of only one year.

I have no doubt in my mind that it is due to the hudud issue, supplemented by the “Allah” ban and confiscation of Bibles.

Nothing will cause more consternation in the Chinese community than religious intervention that may alter their way of life – not corruption, not abuse of power or even racism. In fact, if they are forced to make a choice, they will choose what they may consider the lesser evil of the corrupt Umno.

The recent Kelantan move on hudud has shaken their trust not only in PAS, but by extension, the entire Pakatan Rakyat, as evidenced in DAP’s shock defeat in Teluk Intan.

In fact, the impact of the hudud issue is so serious, with full blast headline news coverage for days on end in the Chinese press, that if PAS were to stand in this by-election instead of DAP, the Chinese swing may likely triple or even quadruple the 2013 support level, even with Kelantan PAS pulling back its intended motion to Parliament.

I am sure that Umno has learned to its delight that its bait to help PAS implement hudud could become such a lethal weapon to maim its enemies, and it will certainly continue to pursue such opportunity in the future.

It is now up to the wisdom of Pakatan Rakyat leaders to strategise for a pragmatic solution without compromising religious ideals, so that its march to Putrajaya remains on course.