The Malaysian Insider

A little help needed, but vote she will

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

AUG 25 — Party colours and flags flooded the streets and narrow gravel alleys of Permatang Pasir. The morning serenity was tempered by the stomp of armies of supporters from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and Barisan Nasional (BN) as old enemies, PAS and Umno, locked horns in a verbal battle to claim dominance in this semi-rural Malay heartland.

Today is D-day for voters here. The federal significance of both PR and BN now lies in the hands of the “simpletons” of Permatang Pasir. Victory for either BN’s Rohaizat Othman or PAS’s Mohd Salleh Man signals either the resurgence of support for the national ruling coalition, or a thrust to the aspirations of an opposition pact to claim federal power.

Supporters of both sides, mostly Malays, are fully aware of the significance of this by-election and thronged the streets, armed with loud-coloured banners, party logo tees and pride on their faces in an attempt to exert dominance in a constituency where the strength of both PAS and Umno are said to be equally matched. (more…)

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

AUG 24 – Last night, “newly minted” PKR leader Datuk Chua Jui Meng gave a ceramah that impressed the Chinese community from Kampung Cross Street here in Permatang Pasir.

He spoke of a concerted attempt by Umno leaders to oust his friend — the embattled president of Barisan Nasional’s second biggest component party, the MCA.

He claimed that Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat’s attempt to expose the Port Klang Free (trade) Zone has riled many ultra right wing Malay leaders who would be implicated should a full expose be made. Hmmmmm.

Of course, many of the Chinese who attended the ceramah were blown away by what the former health minister said. After all, this is an ex-MCA man. And a top leader at that.

You won’t get this kind of information from DAP leaders, that’s for sure. Fair enoiugh that as a politician, it’s Chua’s job to conjure magic and inspire, to agitate the crowd and stir things up. He did it well judging from the response of the crowd.

But what he failed to realise, perhaps unintentionally, is that by saying what he said last night about Umno trying to oust Ong because the transport minister is trying to earnestly expose the PKFZ scandal, he had, in a way depicted Ong as somewhat of a hero, a martyr trapped between evil forces keen on gagging him.

This contradicts all the attacks lauched by DAP and especially Lim Kit Siang against Ong. It even contradicts the attack launched by leaders from his own party. He was fortunate enough, for now at least, that no one realised this. Or might I be wrong?

Again, what this indicates is the lack of cohesion between the component parties in the Pakatan Rakyat pact. This is not the first time they’ve done this.

From the unity government issue, to the second Penang bridge, the appointment of the state’s deputy chief minister and the latest, the beer sale issue in Selangor, the opposition pact have shown clearly that cohesiveness is not one of its greatest assets.

It’s not about democracy. To me that argument and reasoning disguises the true nature of the problem plaguing this pact. It’s about sorting the basics out, the ideological commonality, to streamline policies and to stick by it.

Until now, Pakatan has yet to come out with a Pakatan Rakyat ideology apart from that whole superficial universal values thing like justice, equality and bla bla bla.

Bear in mind that even the most genocidal of regimes out there that have murdered millions did so in the name of such universal values so Pakatan needs to really buck up and convince people like me what distinguishes them from others.

Until then Malaysia will always remain the haven of iconic politics and lag behind other more developed political civilisations which have discarded this mystical practice in the historical dustbin (Kit Siang’s term), fully realising that the battle front should be that of ideology and not personalities.

Turnouts at political ceramahs and events are low, as voters suffer from “by-election burnout”. — picture by Jack Ooi

Aug 22 — Welcome to Permatang Pasir, the home of the poll-fatigued where political party workers slack off, probably sickened by the word “by-election” and the locals moan at the thought of having to attend a ceramah but are obliged to, whispering to each other one of the best phrases I have heard throughout the campaign: when is it gonna end ?!

Let me, Syed Jaymal Zahiid, take you on a brilliant tour to the empty halls and fields where the political heavyweights give their ceramahs which are taking place throughout this beautiful land filled with hundreds of food stalls after food stalls that have left many outsiders like me, ironically, lunch-less as they only open at night!

Down south, we have an almost empty hall where even the biggest of the biggest Pakatan Rakyat heavyweights have no muscle to pull a crowd in this state which has experienced three by-elections in less than a year, and the second in less than three months! I’m talking about a celebrity-filled event here with Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and yet the hall is only half filled! Amazing isn’t it folks? (more…)

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

AUG 19 — Remember the second instalment of the “Lord of The Rings” trilogy? The part when the king of the horse kingdom (I can’t remember the names) was powerless to speak as he was under a spell, and the one talking to Aragorn and gang was the king’s so-called adviser by the name of Wormtongue?

And of course judging from the name, it is obvious that this Wormtongue represented not the true will of the king but of evil forces.

Why am I talking about “Lord of the Rings”? I am actually talking about the press conference given by Umno and Barisan Nasional information chief Ahmad Maslan and others on the issue of their candidate’s disbarment. (more…)

Permatang Pasir's Studio 54 all quiet in the daytime. - Picture by Jack Ooi

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

AUG 18 — Can you imagine how the regulars who frequent this usually quiet coffee stall to watch football or wrestling felt when it was literally transformed into a star-studded joint?

It became something like New York’s famous Studio 54 for a while (with less glitz, of course) when Pakatan Rakyat top guns like PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa, vice- president Datuk Mahfuz Omar and central committee member Dr Hatta Ramli dropped by for some teh tarik and mee kuah.

I was there before these political heavyweights came, writing my story on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s ceramah… while watching the Liverpool-Spurs match. (more…)

Now? Now they will leave the bridge and its people alone. By-election season is over here. - Picture by Danny Lim

By Adib Zalkapli

JULY 15 – Now that the by-election is over and Barisan Nasional (BN) lost, I wonder if Manek Urai will get their double-lane bridge to replace the busy, narrow and old bridge.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who promised the new bridge if Barisan Nasional (BN) wins claimed that the people of Manek Urai need the bridge, because the single-lane bridge makes it impossible for two cars to pass at the same time.

But Dr Hatta Ramli, the MP for Kuala Krai that covers the area, said the bridge was not an issue, as the rural village was only congested during the by-election campaign.

Maybe Dr Hatta was right. As soon as the outcome of the by-election was known, party workers rushed to clear the bridge, removing flags and posters put up during the campaign period.

And today there was no queue, waiting for vehicles from the other side of the bridge to pass. The solar-powered traffic light, erected after nomination, has become useless. (more…)