People's Power in Permatang Pauh

The result of the Permatang Pauh by-election was a foregone conclusion to many Malaysians. It was the tirade of negative news churned up by the main stream press (MSM) that may have got some worried but overall, Malaysians are now savvy enough not to swallow everything that the government controlled media reports. The question was how much the majority would be.

The government succeeded in denying Anwar Ibrahim a chance to contest a seat for parliament by holding the 12GE in March because he had not completed his 5 year ban from contesting for public office.

The by-election on August 26 was Anwar's second chance to fulfil his promise to the people who had stood by him and the opposition when he was incarcerated and walloped left and right by the BN and the main stream media.

Even then, prior to the by-election it wasn't smooth sailing for Anwar as well. He had to deal with the 'familiar sodomy' accusation by one "Saifool" whose medical report by a doctor says that there was no evidence that "Saifool" was "hentam di balakang".

Due to the outcry over the leaked medical report and the media attention that followed, the poor doctor (Dr. Mohamed Osman Abdul Hamid of Pusrawi Hospital) who is a foreigner with P.R. status in Malaysia went into hiding and later fled the country. Does he have a choice? If he had stayed put, he would have been a "guest of the government" and who knows he may be "advised" to do a "Bala" (P.I. P. Balasubramaniam) and retract his medical report.

Anyway, coming back to the Permatang Pauh by-election, it seems the feelings of the people since the March 8 GE have not changed. They are still annoyed with the current government of the day. The main stream media gave an impression that the people are fed-up with what has been going on with the opposition since March 8. Further, there were lots of events happening which the people does not believe to be mere coincidences. The people are not that easily fooled anymore.

The constant harping on race and religion also did not go down well with many Malaysians. We boast to the world that we are truly a multi-racial and multi-religious country where the people live in harmony. All these only look good in the Tourism Ministry promotion brochures but on the ground it's a different story. I really yearn for the days when a person's race and religion meant nothing and we treated each other like brothers and sisters.

Anwar must now play his role as a respected opposition leader who can united the various races in the country. Perhaps, he should also consult with his partners in PAS to rein in their hotheads who seems to be against everything that others like to do or enjoy doing e.g. the coming Avril Lavigne concert. These chaps from PAS must not impose their narrow-minded views on others who happens to be in the majority.

A DAP & PKR coalition is workable but with PAS tagging along both DAP & PKR have to be careful with some of these ultra conservatives in that party.

As for the much talked about change in the Federal government by September 16, I don't see it happening. It's probably mere talk by Anwar just to shake up the BN. I forone would not be too enthusiastic about accepting BN MPs who jumps over to the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. These people have no principles and what guarantee does the P.R. coalition has that these BN dogs will not jump back to BN if a better offer comes their way in the future.

Anwar Ibrahim should exercise patience and wait till the next GE to perform his coup de grace.