The Future of Pakatan Rakyat

Is there a future for Pakatan Rakyat?

The results of the 12th General Election catapulted PR into instant prominence. It deprived BN of the 2/3 majority in the Parliament and dethroned BN in four States namely Penang, Perak, Selangor and Trengganu.

PR did not do too well in East Malaysia at that time. If it could secure half the Parliamentary seats at the next General Election and maintain its results in the above four States, BN power would be gravely undermined. It might even lose the corridor of Power.

Perak was rather unfortunate in that its power was usurped by BN through foul and unethical manoeuvring and buying over of three DAP MPs. The President of the Perak State Assembly was clearly kidnaped and locked up in a room nearby while the BN took the stage to overthrow the PR State Government. Despite the disputes were referred to the High Court, it was quite apparent that the judge(s) who heard the case(s) was/were obviously biased and did not interpret the laws and regulations governing the organisation and administration of the State Assemblies in the country.

The aftermath spoke of the ire and wrath of the Perakians after the usurpation. They will not so easily forget the foul play nor will they be too forgiving when it comes to politics. The Perakians will make sure that the BN will never see the light of day at the next general election.

How did PR perform in those States they govern? As far as Penang, Selangor and Kelantan are concerned, I must say they do pretty well given the time they took over the respective governments. I must give top marks to Penang seeing the social projects that it had introduced so far. Selangor is embroiled in tussles with the BN over Shabas take-over, interreligious disputes, defiling and torching of placews of worship, corruption cases etc. Kelantan is quite uneventful while nothing can be said at this point for Perak as it never really got started before the debacle came down hard on PR.

What can PR learn from the past two years concerning the candidates it fielded in the 12th GE and won. While many were excellent candidates in terms of contribution, hardwork and enthusiasm, there are some black sheep that have tarnished the image of PR. There are of course some turncoats and traitors who would sell their souls for money. Hence, the leadership must pay particular attention to selection of candidates for any federal and states elecdtions.

One glaring weakness within PR is volunteering too much of its plans and projects to to the public before they were finalised. They must discuss these matters secretly and ensure that the component parties are involved. All parties must agree to a certain plan of action before it is released to the public for its information.

Interparty dissension and disputes are likely to destroy PR. Hence all party leaders must take note that they do not go into the open to voice their disagreements. Disagreements and misunderstanding have to be thrashed out within the party. This strategy is important if PR is to survive the next election.

Future PR leaders must keep abreast with the social economic changes and adapt themselves thereto. The swing is towards a competent, accountable and transparent government that cares for the welfare and development of her human capital.

Best of luck to PR