DAP launching war against PAS with ‘Impian Kelantan’?

Hazlan Zakaria, The Ant Daily

“Beware the Greeks especially when they come bearing gifts”, is the old English saying, though for PAS in Kelantan especially, they may have to beware of DAP when they come bearing “impian” or dreams.

This is as the socialist democratic party has announced that it will continue with its “Impian Kelantan” programme to ease the plight of the flood victims affected by the recent floods, despite the Islamist party passing a resolution to cut ties with the DAP at its 61st muktamar.

“We cannot say that PAS doesn’t want to work with us in Pakatan Rakyat and so we cut ties with the flood victims. I don’t see this as a problem,” news portal The Malaysia Insider reported the socialist democratic party’s Seputeh MP Teresa Kok as saying.

Kok was speaking at a press conference at the DAP headquarters on June 11.

While this may be true, it is perhaps important to note that the name “Impian” is used by the DAP in a more combative capacity as it launched its charm offensive into the interiors of BN’s safe deposit states of Sabah and Sarawak.

Its two other iterations, the Impian programmes aptly named Impian Sarawak and Impian Sabah, were designed to infiltrate the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak via NGOs and direct DAP intervention to provide essential services and infrastructure to inhabitants.

As has been pointed out in another Theantdaily article, this was only made possible by the incompetence of the state governments in question, for their inability or unwillingness to provide those selfsame developments.

But be that as it may, it is nonetheless an adroit political move by the DAP to take advantage of the lackluster performance of the BN state governments in the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak, to try and plant their foot there, long thought to be BN’s stronghold.

Indeed they have made many inroads into the rural communities with their “Impian” programmes and it may help turn the political tide slowly in DAP’s favour.

It is undeniably a “long game” that will take years to come to fruition.

This perhaps speaks of the long term planning and foresight of the socialist democratic party, which brings us to “Impian Kelantan”.

It may indeed be more than just a kind gesture to reach out and help the flood victims but may be the long-term plan of the DAP to infiltrate and try to find itself a foothold in what is undeniably the stronghold of PAS.

It should be noted that this strategy may work, for Kelantan shares the selfsame characteristics with Sabah and Sarawak, that of a resource rich state but with minimal infrastructure and developments in the interior.

It does seems like the same modus operandi is in operation.

And after all, the fact is, the working relationship between DAP and PAS has always been tenuous, with their diametrically opposed ideologies.

With the ongoing spat between DAP and PAS reaching new heights following the passing of the motion to cut ties at the Islamist party’s recent muktamar, things may notch up a gear or two. For the socialist democratic party now perhaps see the Islamist party as another rival to be taken out, when it can.

What perhaps started out as an olive branch to mend fences could very well now be an attempt to establish a beachhead in PAS-held Kelantan.

Of course it may also be that the DAP is as noble as it claims to be, even for a political party.