NO NEED TO FOLLOW THE BN WAY...

This is the season for by-elections. In a space of less than six months we are seeing three by-elections—Batu Talam (Pahang state), Machap (Melaka) and now Ijok (Selangor). All three are brought about by the untimely demise of the state assemblymen of these respective state constituencies. Now all eyes are focused on Ijok, in Berjuntai Bestari (formerly as Batang Berjuntai—never mind the reason behind the name change!)

As usual in any by-election, stiff lobbying will take place within all political parties vying for the vacant seat. The BN, being the incumbent holder of the seat and the state government, was the first to announce its candidate, in this case, K. Parthiban, 38, an MIC member and a teacher. The opposition comes from Parti Keadilan Rakyat, whose candidate is Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, 61, a corporate figure who is also their Treasurer.

The Menteri Besar of Selangor has already promised to pump in RM36 million to develop Ijok—a huge sum considering the small size of the constituency. For ordinary people, whose primary need is for good infrastructure, the RM36 million promised would be the best thing that can happen to their ‘sleepy hollow’ like Ijok.

The opposition is crying foul over the promise, because it perceives this to be a corrupt practice in elections (buying votes in a ‘buy’-election?) The fact is that, this sort of behavior has been going on for over half a century in Malaysia—since the country’s independence in 1957. With such a promise, there can be no doubt that BN will be returned handsomely in this by-election.
Who says there has to be a level playing field in any contest? This world subscribes to the notion that “might is right.” Whoever is in power will use it to perpetuate his or her power. The age of chivalry is gone. After all, even the PM is selected by the outgoing PM, and not by his party members.

In today’ NST, the DPM Najib Razak criticized PKR’s decision to field Khalid Ibrahim, a Malay, in a constituency with the largest Indian electorate in the country. He says that the PKR should follow the BN way by fielding another Indian PKR member to fight against the MIC candidate.

Najib Razak seemed to fail to understand that the purpose of a political party in a by-election (or any election for that matter) is to win. Any party will do whatever it takes to win an election. The BN has the luxury of fielding an Indian candidate because it is already in power. Even if it loses Ijok, it will remain the state government. The PKR does not have this luxury. It has to strategize in order to make the greatest impact on the electorate. It does not have to follow the BN way in selecting its candidate.

The PKR wants to repeat its success in Lunas (Kedah) by-election. The PKR needs to win the Ijok election because it will be a good barometer for the coming general election. It cannot afford to gamble in the choice of candidate just to prove it is a multiracial party. Perhaps in the general election it can adopt a more liberal attitude in the allocation of seats to satisfy all its members, but not in a by-election. Since Ijok is a Malay majority district, Khalid Ibrahim is a candidate sent by heaven! He is a local-born, a successful Malay corporate figure and Malays can easily identify him as the man responsible for the success of Amanah Saham Bumiputra. The people of ijok should give this man a chance to serve in the Selangor State assembly. It is time we have some dissent in the assembly which is now filled with all “yes-man”. After all, isn’t this what Najib wanted when he suggested that the education system should be revamped to eliminate rote learning. If we want to encourage healthy discussion by tolerating dissent, then it is time to put Khalid Ibrahim in the Selangor State assembly. The state will only benefit from his presence.