Will the opposition votes be split by PAS and PAN in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar PRKs?
Umar Mukhtar
With due respect, it appears like it is God’s will that there could possibly be PRKs in the parliamentary constituencies of Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar. The talk on the ground is that if the said PRKs are contested in straight fights between Barisan Nasional (UMNO) and PAS as they did in PRU13, the opposition will win both seats. UMNO is split. BN won in PRU13 by razor-thin margins of 399 and 1082 votes respectively.
Most observers are keen to see if the 1MDB scandal has any effect on the Malay voters of both constituencies in substantive terms, as both Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar are considered Malay constituencies having high percentages of Malay voters with marginal number of non-Malay voters.
Alas, the Malay opposition is split. Both PAS and Parti Amanah Negara, a breakaway party of PAS, are eyeing both seats. If both are to run in three-cornered fights as such, BN will definitely benefit. In normal times PAS will be talking terms with Amanah to share the seats: one for each. Cooler heads should prevail.
But with the bad blood between the two parties, coupled with Tok Guru Haji Hadi’s mysterious relationship with Prime Minister Najib Razak, that hope seems far-fetched. PAS is sure to run and so is Amanah. In fact, by PAS running in three-cornered fights, that is a sure favour to BN.
And if PAS does not run, it will a give a chance to its detractors to win and gain a foothold, it seems. Similarly, Amanah and its friends argue that if PAS is allowed to oppose BN alone, it will just put up a lacklustre fight and give the seat away to BN as a favour in consideration of an allegedly broader plan by both.
That’s Malaysian politics for you. If in fact the objective of the opposition is to defeat the ruling party, herewith is an example of the myopia afflicting the opposition. None will back out. Both will test each other’s influence at the expense of giving away the seats to BN. All hail to the ‘Bodoh Sombong’ leaders of both opposition parties.
Why don’t they both skip both PRKs in order to cool down the situation that only benefits the supposedly common enemy? Why not let only PKR run and let both PRKs be the voters’ platform to voice their feelings about Najib and BN on the 1MDB controversy. It’s mostly among Malays voters so the issue of Chinese being anti-UMNO irrespective, does not really arise.
Or alternatively, put up an independent candidate who is agreed to and blessed by both Malay opposition parties. Give Najib a run for his money! If BN wins at least you know where you stand instead of dreaming away like idiots. That’s thinking outside the box, which hopefully both parties are capable of.
Talk this over, talk, talk, talk, guys. Find a solution, just don’t fight each other, which I thought was the main reason why the Pakatans were formed anyway. That is if you really are committed to fighting corruption and abuse of power. And not just being power-hungry to make money when the opportunity arises.
But of course, the above will be a non-starter if PAS is committed to helping UMNO, no matter what. Unless PAS surely would also take this opportunity to show the enormous sacrifices it is capable of making, just to show its disdain for corruption. Or are the PAS leaders also like the UMNO division heads, loving you-know-what rather than shoulder true political perseverance?
Amanah will follow suit. Just speak to DAP to convince them to do so. Both Malay parties are not perfect but they are both in the perfect position to make history and to bring Malaysian political maturity one notch up. Is this too much to ask, or is our opposition made up of little boys who can’t see the forest for the trees?
In a moment that I feel so hopeless, there comes along a silver lining. Do we deserve this opportunity or are we not worthy of it because we have misplaced priorities? Like PAS running instead of BN to test the appeal of a broader Malay-led BN coalition? Stranger things have happened. Happy reconfiguring!
My condolences to those who lost their lives in the recent helicopter accident. What honour it is to serve the country until our last moments in life. May God bless their souls. Al-Fatihah.
