BN must take Penanti-bull by the Horns

While the Election Commission (EC) takes its time to discover whether there is really a vacancy for the Penanti state seat, both Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional (BN) are preparing for another face-off.Contesting the by-election will be an uphill battle for the BN. Perhaps, fearing another electoral defeat in Peninsular Malaysia, premier and BN chairman Najib Abdul Razak floated the idea of the ruling coalition not contesting.

MCA president Ong Tee Keat said that it is the BN's democratic right not to participate and Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon agreed that the time is not right for another diversionary by-election.The mainstream media is already echoing the voices of the BN’s component party leaders. One newspaper even provided the financial costs of previous by-elections: the implication being thatby-elections are a waste of time and money.

Like what is happening in Perak, these views seem to brush aside the idea of ‘individual responsibility’. This, Pakatan claims, is what motivated the Penanti assemblyperson to resign. Of course, a hop and skip would have been easier, but the fallout from such leap-frogging in Perak would be even more damaging for the BN.

Then there is the issue of the democratic rights of the people in Penanti. The EC cannot mediate between the BN and Pakatan and convince both parties not to have a by-election. What about the right of possible independent candidates? That was why the framers of our constitution left it to the speaker of the state legislature and not the EC director to decide on the vacancy of state seats.The reality is that not facing-off is not an option for the BN. Even if the odds are stacked against one, risks have to be taken.

The only problem is that BN’s component party leaders, except perhaps S Samy Vellu, are not natural-born fighters. Many of them have gotten up the greasy pole by avoiding direct confrontations.When accepting his nomination as Umno president, Najib stressed the fact that he got up to the top position through patience and never once did he confront anyone. In short, the BN is led by people who are averse to risk.

Former premier and Umno president Dr Mahathir Mohamad, on the other hand, is not risk averse. At one Umno AGM when the pro-Anwar Ibrahim tide was riding high and there were rumours of Anwar taking on Mahathir for the presidency, Mahathir said it did not matter if he was challenged and defeated. He had been president for a long time and if he lost his post, he would gladly give up the premiership. The case was totally different for Anwar, then his deputy - if he lost in the challenge, he would face political oblivion.

Ironically, Anwar is once again riding the high tide of popularity and at Penanti, he might just meet Mahathir again. For by-election junkies, this would be the ultimate proxy face-off. Mahathir, the most powerful ex-Umno president, would once again take on his protégé. It will be the ultimate bonfire of the vanities.

Issues at hand

As exciting as the prospect of age-old enemies slugging it out might be, voters in Penanti must remember the issues at hand. Firstly, the seat was won by PKR and then for reasons better known to them, its elected representative resigned. So long as the anti-graft agency fails to act against Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin, he can be presumed to be innocent until proven otherwise. But to be on the safe side, PKR and Lim Guan Eng’s Penang government have decided that they need to return to the people for a fresh mandate.

Secondly, the resignation of Mohammad Fairus, who was also Deputy Chief Minister 1 of Penang, is indicative of a new type of politics. Pakatan is putting into practice ‘individual executive responsibility’. Even a whiff of corruption cannot be tolerated. New standards for elected representatives have been set. Perhaps, Pakatan has learnt its lesson from Perak. In this matter, Mohammad Fairus is to be commended for his decision to step down.

All is not lost for the BN. It must now take this opportunity to compare not only their developmental plans but also their moral standards with Pakatan. Najib must not forget that Malaysians still remember the “close one-eye” MP, and even Mahathir wants his son Mukhriz to help solve the Approved Permits issue.

In the end, these will be the issues that will be debated in the Penanti by-election.If the BN really decides to stay away from the polls, it means that it is giving up on its supporters in Penanti. This has never happened in the history of Malaysia as far as the ruling coalition is concerned. Najib and those who support this line of thought use the economy as an excuse. The reality is that by-elections should not distract the attention of the entire governmental machinery.

The premier, his deputy, the cabinet ministers and a substantial number of the police force need not give up their responsibilities to march into Penanti in full force.Of course, some of Najib’s advisers may think it clever to suggest the BN should back an Independent to take on the PKR - let the candidate win, and this should sink the PKR. The reality of Bukit Selambau should put such ideas to rest.

One cannot win against an ideological movement, which is what Pakatan is slowly but surely becoming. This movement will only become stronger if the BN refuses to take the bull by the horns.

(First Published on: Apr 21, 09 10:53am)