HATS off to Perikatan Nasional (PN) for its stellar performance in the recently concluded state elections. All the political players ought to respect the people’s voice. That is, after all, the true essence of democracy. Vox populi reigns supreme in democracy.
Umno has been subject to incessant fierce criticism due to its relatively below-par showing. Except in Negri Sembilan where its performances were slightly better, Umno has miserably failed in the other states – Selangor, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu.
Hence, its very existence is now perceived to be in the balance.
The chorus demanding the resignation of Umno president cum deputy prime minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, has been stridently growing. But Khairy Jamaluddin believes that the Umno president won’t step down, come what may. It is difficult not to agree with Khairy.
Like it or not, Zahid’s criminal charges in court were exploited to the hilt by PN for its election campaign. It was like a “free bullet” to PN.
To be fair to Zahid, he should be entitled to the ancient telos of criminal law namely “one is presumed innocent until proven guilty”, but in politics, unfortunately, such a sacrosanct principle has no significant value though, occasionally, that principle may not indiscriminately be applied.
When PAS managed to secure all 32 seats in Terengganu, some Umno leaders also blamed Zahid despite the fact all PH candidates there also lost. Such a stunning victory for PAS in Terengganu is not really a good sign for democracy and, by extension, to the people as well in that the key elements in democracy – check and balance – has been seriously impaired with such a triumph.
As usual, DAP has been steady and consistent. Perhaps, all parties in PH need to search for DAP’s key secrets in successfully maintaining its election successes.
Amanah, my own party, unfortunately, demonstrated a sub-standard display in the elections. The party even failed to secure a few of its incumbent seats such as Paroi, Morib, Sg Ramal, Permatang Pasir etc. What is clear is that Amanah is seriously wanting new talented and able leaders so much so the voters’ confidence in the party has been severely diminished.
To its credit, PH still manages to retain the state government in Selangor with substantially reduced seats. Thus, it has lost the two-thirds majority to conveniently govern such a rich state.
In my view, the poor performance of PH in Selangor, inter alia, is caused by its self-inflicted blows. With due respect, the then state government, despite being excellent in some aspects, more often than not took for granted certain issues such as the frequent water disruptions in the state.
This issue, in my view, was not satisfactorily handled to the satisfaction of voters. The disruptions were too frequent to be simply ignored by voters.
While there was a high probability, perhaps, of a coordinated campaign of sabotage – as the state used to “sell” – the voters unfortunately did not buy. Politicians ought to realise that the motto “the voters are always right” is highly relevant in politics hence ignoring it is at your own peril.
There are, unfortunately, some startling elements in Malaysia’s genre of democracy. Voters seem to not care about the issue of integrity of either candidate or political party. Take for example the case of corruption or abuse of powers.
Despite the fact the election judge categorically held that there were corrupt practices perpetrated by PAS in Kuala Terengganu in the last general election, PAS, to our chagrin, still managed to recapture the seat with an even bigger majority. This really bewildered me. Were majority Malay-Muslim voters in Kuala Terengganu okay with corruption? Are corrupt practices tolerable by religion, especially Islam?
In Kedah, PH-Umno made a huge mistake by underestimating the Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor’s tidal wave of influence.
When Sanusi has been subjected to few “legal intimidations”, i believe the voters in Kedah perceive such “intimidations” as part of political bullies from the federal government against a fragile Sanusi. Ergo, the voters duly “sanctioned” PH-Umno in Kedah.
Prior to the election, some PH leaders seemed to be overconfident in conquering Kedah. When a statement such as “we already have 16 seats in our hand” was uttered by some leaders, Kedah voters saw such a statement to be boastful and arrogant. Sometimes, humility may conquer the hearts and minds of voters.
Many characterise PN’s victory as due to a green tsunami. But the Merdeka Centre is of the view that such a green tsunami is closely linked to the economy. Voters who voted for PN seemed to harbour this sentiment – the unity government has not done enough to ease the economic burden befalling the people. – The Vibes, August 15, 2023
Datuk Mohamed Hanipa Maidin is a former deputy law minister
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