WITH Barisan Nasional (BN) in
a euphoria over its win in the Johor state election, an analyst has cautioned
the coalition over taking things for granted.
“The reason why BN won is not
because the people love them but it’s due to the Opposition being weak. This is
the same case in the UK between the Conservative Party and Labour Party.
“Don’t think that the second
state election win shows that the people are embracing BN back in their arms
wholeheartedly,” Arunachala Research & Consultancy Sdn Bhd principal
consultant R Paneir Selvam told FocusM.
Yesterday, BN won a two-thirds
majority at the Johor state legislative assembly by securing 40 out of the 56 seats
contested.
Pakatan Harapan only managed
to win 12 seats while Perikatan Nasional only won three seats.
New kid on the block, the
Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) surprised analysts by winning one
state seat, which is Puteri Wangsa.
Elaborating on BN’s win,
Paneir Selvam said there was another reason which also helped the coalition to
win Johor; distancing itself from PAS.
“PAS does not have much
traction in Johor. So, when UMNO disassociated itself from the Islamist party,
that brought back the non-Muslims to the coalition’s fold,” he opined.
On Pakatan’s drubbing, Paneir
Selvam said that the people, yet again, have shown that they are displeased
with its leadership and their direction following its ouster from Putrajaya in
2020.
“In 2018, Pakatan won due to
the promises made in its election manifesto but when they ignored it, the people
fumed.
“Back then, Pakatan was seen
as saviours while BN was perceived as corrupt and had lost touch with the
ground. So, expectations on the former were higher,” he opined.
Paneir Selvam added that
voters also could not fathom the logic in Pakatan signing a memorandum of
understanding with BN/PN; a coalition they themselves had referred to as corrupt
and treacherous in the past.
Queried on what Pakatan’s
needs to do to “reinvent” itself, the analyst pointed out that the current crop
of leadership team should make way for new blood to take over.
“And get rid of their advisory
team. Obviously, these people are giving them bad advice.
“In any political party or
organisation, you need advisers who can tell their bosses the cold hard-truth,
not just telling tall tales so as to please their leaders’ ears,” he
stressed.
Offering a general
perspective, he urged Pakatan’s top leadership to move into advisory roles and
allow younger generation to take over the helm to “resuscitate” the coalition,
especially PKR.
“PKR needs young leaders like
its vice president Rafizi Ramli to make a political comeback. Remember, he was
also instrumental in drafting Pakatan’s election manifesto for the 2018 General
Election,” Paneir Selvam quipped.
Younger voters scrutinise principles
He also offered the same
advise to BN, urging them to return to the coalition’s founding principles
during the Alliance times.
“Firstly, get rid of the
‘court cluster’. Other senior leaders should move to advisory roles and allow
young leaders to take over the helm. This goes to MCA and MIC too.
“Remember that this is the
first time Undi18 took place. Listen to the voice of the younger generation,”
Paneir Selvam urged.
While he agreed that there are
no permanent friends or enemies in politics, the academic reminded politicians
that young voters do scrutinise their leaders’ principles more compared to
their seniors.
“The younger generation looks
at your principles and scrutinise them. I know this because I work with young
people across racial and religious backgrounds.
“So I advise both BN and Pakatan
to stick to your core principles if you want to survive in politics for years
to come.
“Look at Parti Pejuang Tanah
Air. They got trounced badly not only because there were too many parties
contesting, it was also because their policies are outdated.
“However, the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) won the Puteri Wangsa seat because they offered something fresh to the voters,” Paneir Selvam concluded. – March 13, 2022
Source: https://focusmalaysia.my/johor-polls-bn-won-because-pakatan-is-weak-expert-says/
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