PN’s poor parliamentary opposition performance won’t stop a landslide in the coming state elections
The state election will change Malaysia's political arena
With so much focus upon the unity government, most have missed the poor parliamentary performance of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) opposition.
Although there have been a few reported spontaneous outbursts, the opposition within the Dewan Rakyat has been unfocused and lacklustre.
Earlier in June, the opposition boycotted the debate on the 2021 Auditor General’s report, which criticized the Muhyiddin Yassin government for leakages, non-compliance with regulations, and failure to follow conditions.
Many Bersatu and PAS MPs have only been attending parliament in a spasmodic manner. Of special note in PAS leader, Abdul Hadi Awang.
The opposition has failed to take up the critical issues facing Malaysia today. The falling Ringgit, poor performance of the Bursa KL, falling exports, and rising living costs provide much fodder for the opposition to take up, especially as the Anwar government has been inept on most of them.
Although, PN uses parliamentary question time to bring up issues, they coalition doesn’t see the Dewan Rakyat as a forum of importance. Voters rarely get to see the questions asked, or read the occasional news portal reports. There are a number of very capable PAS members like Dr Mohd Zuhdi Murzuli, Jaziri Alkaf Suffian, Mohd Apardi Mohamed, Aziz Ariffin, and Isaiah Jacob, among others.
Under siege by the media
PN leaders are under siege by the media. Muhyiddin Yassin is portrayed as a crook, and Hadi Awang as a racist and religious extremist. Without debating the merits of these claims, the PH-BN cybertrooper operations are going to town on these memes. PN’s leaders are talked up as wannabe evil and power-hungry politicians, which works extremely well in the urban areas.
However, PAS are using a very different playbook. PN social media supports the perception of the PN leadership as being focused on the mission of PAS. There is a focus upon community, and issues of religion. To PAS members Islam and community have a ‘oneness’, which cant be separated.
This is supported by the PAS education and community enclaves around the peninsula. When one travels to a PAS kampong, they will know it. In this way PAS is not a political party, but a community eco-system. An Islamized government is a natural extension.
Anwar’s administration already has a counter strategy in place. The Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is censoring social media statements that breach the sensitive 3R issues (race, religion, and royalty). They are currently issuing a legal suit against Meta (Facebook) for not taking down material the MCMC deems offensive.
The perceived injustice done to PN politicians and repression of social media by the MCMC could well have a counter-effect.
UNDI 18 vote
As was the case in GE15, it was the UNDI 18 voters who voted overwhelmingly towards PN. This is to be expected, particularly within the rural areas, where many youths have gone to Islamic schools. The UNDI 18 voters, who have received religious education are more likely to be motivated to come out and vote than ether UMNO or Pakatan voters, who have some reservations about the unity government’s performance, especially on the economy.
Probable election outcomes
Its probable that PN, led by PAS can obtain a clean sweep of seats in both Kelantan and Terengganu. If voting patterns remain the same as the last general election last November, UMNO will be completely wiped out in both states. That would mean a loss of 8 seats in Kelantan and 10 seats in Terengganu.
Kedah is set to become a PN stronghold. PN is likely to raise its representation from 21 to at least 26 seats, in the 36 seat state assembly.
The DAP led PH government in Penang should hold onto government, but with a reduced majority. PN should be able to win between 6 to 14 seats in Malay majority seats on the mainland.
Selangor will be a bitterly fought election campaign, where it will be a major challenge to hold onto government. In the recently dissolved state assembly, PH-BN held 49 seats between them, and PN 7 seats, in the 56 seat assembly. Its possible PN could win up to 25 seats, where PH-BN just hold on by a slim majority.
Negeri Sembilan will be the most difficult for PN. The most likely result would be that PN picks up only a couple of seats. However, if PN performed very well, it might be able to win up to 11 seats, which would fall short of the 19 seats needed to form a government.
A very strong performance by PN in the coming state elections, will put credence into the idea that PH-BN was an accidental government, which will dent legitimacy. This would further push the unity government towards its pseudo-Islamic agenda.
Originally published in My Sin Chew 25th June 2023
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still waiting for Murray hunter to show a single piece of objective analysis and data to back up claims other than his gut and his hunch.
The blind will continue to lead the blind, the fool will continue to rule the fools, the ignorance will remain in the dark unless something drastic happen. The vicious destructive cycle of repeating the same blunders and mistakes of the past government unthinking policies will continue, who cares about this failed nation as long as the politicians and civil servants get their pays and due in time.
(Arthur Schopenhauer Feb 22, 1788-Sept 21 1860) said :
"The majority of men... are not capable of thinking, but only of believing, and... are not accessible to reason, but only to authority."
The collective sins of this nation can be expressed by these two quotations fairly accurately :
First “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. ”
― Alvin Toffler (4 Oct 1928- 27 June 2016)
Second,
He who will not reason, is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool; and he who dares not is a slave.
Sir William Drummond (26 Sept 1769-29 March 1828)
The long awaited prime minister in the waiting is still conducting himself as if he is still not capable of exercising leadership after taking office for the last seven months.
What is holding him back? Lack of wisdom as to what to do? Too many conflicting views and prospective implications in every decision awaiting his resolute decisive action? No vision nor heart to execute his election manifesto? What Anwar wanted was to be prime minister, now that he is already PM, his dream has come through and he is being paid and given the position as the head of the nation? Dream has come through and time to enjoy honey moon.
The reality is powerfully worded by :
“It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old institution and merely lukewarm defenders in those who gain by the new ones. ”
― Niccolò Machiavelli( 3 May 1469 -June 21, 1527)
Anwar inherited a failed nation infested with a collapsing educational legacy where the passing marks for SPM is 20% score. pandemic corruption, extraordinary excessive number civil servants on government payroll. Political infighting and pursuing position and privileges instead of taking bull by the horns to solve the nation's crisis and inherited disaster.
The road to recovery is long and laborious , but still can be done with vision and enduring patience.
There is a solution available. It is simple but not easy.
"Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." Lao Tzu
The way to go is to start the activation of prenatal investment education for all. If the last four decades the previous many government in power had started the new science and art of this effective parenting skill, today we would have lived and enjoyed a nation full of talent in human resource for nation building. Failure to do so have resulted in a nation full of under and unemployable graduates, directionless economy, emotionally bankruptcy and perennial infighting among politicians instead of constructive useful working together for building a nation.
Prenatal investment as I have so many occasions expressed it in different platform is investing in the class room of the womb. After conception before delivery of the unborn.
The latest known child prodigy is the Elon Musk's 14 years old software engineer working for him at Space -x Starlink. How did this boy learn what make him what he is mentally, intellectually if NOT from the womb?
Anwar may never have the privilege or honor of seeing his pioneering work in full bloom many years down the road, but he will be cherished and remembered as having the vision to apply it.
For a small start he must use his influence, position and power or authority vested with him as the head of a nation to promote and motivate the whole population to read " The secret life of an inborn child" by Thomas Verny. or get me at jordan9tan@yahoo.com