Honeymoon over for Pakatan

JULY 20, 2009 — The wafer-thin majority of 65 votes won by PAS's candidate, fishmonger Mohd Fauzi Abdullah, against his BN challenger, Kesedar officer Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat, in the Manek Urai by-election certainly caught many by surprise.
PAS worked day and night to ensure that outstation voters, who they had banked on, came back; they got their wish of a high turnout of some 87 per cent.
Whether that was the reason, they did enough to stop the tide that was going BN's and Umno's way. What was surprising was the drop in the majority compared to the 2008 general election from some 1,352 votes to a paltry 65.
Looking back, PAS and Umno have always had similar strength in support, with about 30-35 per cent hardcore supporters and members each.
The rest of about 30-40 per cent are fence-sitters who will shift according to the local political climate and issues.
PAS has held Kelantan for so long that it is probably this that worked to the benefit of Umno. The people of Kelantan probably itched for a change in the method and style of governance and more importantly to one that can improve their livelihood.
The result in Manek Urai has rung alarm bells in all other three Pakatan states that the honeymoon for them is over.
Pakatan leaders in those states should have hit the ground running on assuming office in discharging their task of administering the states.
The Pakatan-ruled states of Selangor, Penang and Kedah have yet to show their capability in helping to boost investments, create and generate wealth as well as ensuring the public delivery service is prompt and efficient.
Longstanding land ownership issues in Selangor and Penang are abundant and have yet to be addressed even after 16 months Pakatan has been in power.
This has been slammed by business players as well as individuals due their applications for land being stuck in the Land Office for ages and yet to be addressed.
Kedah and Kelantan are beset by bread-and-butter issues concerning the economic status and livelihood of the mostly agricultural-based community.
Small and medium business people have also found it hard to make ends meet as the dire economic situation makes it tougher for them to generate, maintain and expand their sales.
Even though the economic malaise is affecting businesses nationwide, things are not improving as fast as they ought to in the Pakatan states.
Investments into Pakatan states are not forthcoming and this is directly affecting growth as well as employment in these states.
A witchhunt by some of Pakatan's overzealous leaders on companies with links to BN leaders is turning away giant conglomerates from investing in Pakatan states.
Pakatan states especially the jewel in their crown, Selangor, as well as the Pearl of the Orient, Penang, will have to move fast and strong in providing sound leadership, economically as well as socio-politically.
Barisan Nasional especially Umno has found renewed strength after a annus horribillus year or two. Backed by the recent favourable ratings based on Merdeka Center's survey on the performance of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as Prime Minister as well as the result in Manek Urai, Umno feels as it is on track to rehabilitation.
The concerted and continuous effort by Umno to subvert the minds of the Malays into rejecting the so-called liberal Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim-led Pakatan has conjured considerable success.
The dilution of Malay power and role in the Pakatan states has conveniently been blamed on the rise of Anwar and Pakatan.
At the same time, inter-party squabbling between PKR and DAP on the Seberang Perai Municipal Council president issue as well as the PAS-DAP discord on the Kedah-Penang water issue are indications that all is not well within the coalition.
The intra-party fallout between the Erdogan and Ulama clans in PAS has also put off a lot of the once-favourable public opinion.
The temperature has risen a notch or two when the ever popular and influential PKR vice-president Mohamed Azmin Ali gave a thinly-veiled criticism towards his comrade Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, the Selangor Mentri Besar, in the august Selangor State Assembly on the need for a revamp in the state's exco line-up to serve the people better.
There has been clear evidence of non-performance among Pakatan reps — the notorious among them being the former Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Mohd Fairus Khairuddin, who was duly replaced with the affable Datuk Mansor Othman.
Azmin's calculated critique towards Khalid's line-up did not receive an open rebuke from PKR's exco members except for one or two rumblings from DAP's exco members — namely Teresa Kok and Ean Yong Hian Wah.
It is time that Khalid, Lim Guan Eng, Azizan Razak and Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat cleaned up their act as their states cannot have water-carriers or excess baggage in their respective state governments.
As much as Anwar tried to be hands-off in the running and administration of the Pakatan states to allow the states to find their rhythm and carry on at their own pace, he has probably realised that it is he who has to prod and see that these states toe the Pakatan line together with the help of Datuk Hadi Awang and Lim Kit Siang.
If the dream of taking over Putrajaya is to remain alive, Anwar together with his former nemeses-turned-allies Kit Siang and Hadi will have to forge and formalise, if necessary, a structured, organised and effective coalition — not just from the top but right down to the grassroots level.
Anwar will also have to monitor closely and ensure that PKR and Pakatan reps in state assemblies and Parliament deliver the task that is expected of them with sound quality debate, solutions for improvement and that they keep in touch with their constituents at all times.
While the public has high expectations of Najib to deliver immediately upon assuming office, the exceptionally long 16 months’ honeymoon by Pakatan has put many Pakatan reps in their comfort zone. Alas, Pakatan can't afford to have leaders still in honeymoon mode, they need to deliver their 1,001 sweet promises to the people.
Only then will they stand a chance to open the doors of Putrajaya.

- published in The Malaysian Insider : July 20, 2009