In recent months, the media have gone to town with reports of party-hoppers and disgruntled Pakatan reps. Our correspondent says the people should actually thank the BN for creating the sifting process within the Pakatan: Let the rakyat keep the ‘gold’ for the next round.
After the 8 March 2008 Election tsunami, there seemed to be a ‘frog’ migration from the BN pond to the PR pond. It all looked very grand and hopeful for the Opposition and the rakyat and rather embarrassing for the ruling BN, which had always taken its two-thirds majority for granted. Whilst opposition political parties seemed to welcome these “hoppers” with open arms publicly, we had the naive impression that the “hoppers” came with sincere hearts being weaned off their former muddied political persuasions.
Over the past two years, we witnessed overt and covert Umno-led attempts to undermine the five PR state administrations in contempt of the rakyat’s democratic choice. This is orchestrated using all the instruments and tools of administrative control, legal tweaking and the brute heavy hands of the security forces at the disposal of the federal government. But that was not all – they had the help of some “hoppers”.
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The PR Perak State Government was apparently brought down by three hoppers, whom we now know were on the bandwagon only for the ride and jumped to the other side as soon as they apparently saw goodies put out for them as bait. They have since disappeared from the public eye in the aftermath of the destruction they caused, hopefully, never to crawl out of their slimy holes again. After the legal poker game in the courts, where the PR won a hand but lost two other games, the unelected BN Perak State government has put on a cloak of legality.
The BN is still hard at work attempting to undermine the four remaining PR state administrations in various ways, using their media tools and rakyat’s money, with the possible hope of recruiting the aid of more “hoppers” willing to swallow their bait. The squabble between Penang CM Lim Guan Eng and PKR MPs, Zahrain and Tan Tee Beng is telling. Now, Zahrain has jumped off the bandwagon and claims to be going his own way as an Independent… that remains to be seen. No doubt, the Rakyat will be watching him.
Tan, on the other hand, seems to have been something of a “batu api” making snide remarks publicly about the Penang CM and asking for his replacement. Ironically, both Zahrain and Tan were ‘hoppers’ from the BN pond, who reportedly have yet unrealised political interests. This squabble could have been settled ‘internally’ (The Sun, 8 February 2010). So why, the hoo-ha?
In a paradoxical way, what has come to pass is actually good for the greenhorn PR administrations, which have had their bid for government realised for the first time in Malaysian history. It is a chance to evaluate themselves and work things out. It is also a golden opportunity to sift out the “hoppers”, identifying the ‘tulen’ from the ‘celup’.
So we should thank the BN for creating the sifting process. Let the Rakyat keep the ‘gold’ for the next round.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
