Permatang Pauh – Business as usual for PKR?

Umar Mukhtar

It is business as usual for the PKR Sdn Bhd family business in Permatang Pauh. The patriach may be indisposed but the offsprings can take over. Maybe even Mama can fill in again if the family also wants the Opposition Leader position in order to head the franchise. If the burden of taking care of two constituencies is too much for her, just do another Kajang Move.

Can’t let someone outside the family be the Prime Minister when the opposition captures Putrajaya in 2018. That seat belongs to Papa! Never, especially not for that upstart who robbed Mama of the Selangor Menteri Besar position by treachery. He may not even let Papa out of prison if he becomes PM.

So PKR will go to the second by-election in Permatang Pauh that are caused by Anwar, selling the same wares to a people who are now being used as a market-test electorate for various ailments of our society. Was Anwar the victim of injustice? Will PKR’s win be the beginning of the people’s march to Putrajaya? Same hype. Same people. Yawn.

A candidate from the family again? What about Yusmadi the young ex-MP who was promised a cushy job when sidelined by Anwar before PRU13? Or Cikgu Bard who has always been working tirelessly even though over nothing. Or any new face that mirrors change and a disconnect from the embarrassing past. Nah, the main product which PKR sells is Anwar. The nearer the connection to him, the better.

If that is true, how do the other PKR leaders feel? Not to worry, they always come around to kissing Anwar’s ass. After all, where would they be if Anwar did not give them a break to be his proxy, in spite of being their mediocre selves? It’s good that they know their places except the one or two still remaining. The rest have quit the party.

Is there any chance that Permatang Pauh could be the stage for new politics? Where the younger people can show their hopes for a new Malaysia? Where new pragmatism can overcome old prejudice?. And appropriately, too, for old politics to make a curtain call as a welcome prelude to PRU14?

Will Permatang Pauh also be the showcase of the opposition pact’s effectiveness and harmony and far-sightedness? “Ah, all done already,” according to some PKR leaders, “what you see is what you get.” Permatang Pauh will be a shoo-in for the opposition. PKR and Pakatan Rakyat are that good, according to these leaders.

DAP would be watching the campaign intensely even though this is a Malay-majority constituency where DAP is reduced to a fringe player. But they want to see who and how, and which of the contesting party claims to be more Malay and more Muslim than the other.

Malay? And not Malaysian, you would ask? Oh, that’s what this semi-rural constituency likes to hear, and politicians are humble enough to go down to their level. It’s too risky to bring people up to our level. They don’t understand or appreciate or want to be bothered by petty issues.

And what role will PAS play in the Permatang Pauh by-election? Suffice for me to quote a political observer friend when summarising the scenario with much candour.