BA needs to go on the offensive: grassroots observers
Islamophobia is so real that local pundits are saying that the governments reaction to the tragedy has not only reaffirmed Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamads standing in the eyes of the world, it has also spelt out the death sentence for the three-year-old opposition front, Barisan Alternatif.
Results of the Indera Kayangan by-election last month have undoubtedly demoralised the opposition. The BN candidate beat Keadilans by an increased majority of 2,592 (although a closer analysis suggests that Keadilan could have garnered an increased Chinese Malaysian vote).
According to former politician Dr Chandra Muzaffar and DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang, instead of fighting BNs propaganda against the opposition, Keadilan has become weaker and the Sept 11 tragedy had a profound impact on Indera Kayangans voting pattern.
Independent political commentator and writer Wong Chin Huat tended to agree with their observation.
It (Sept 11) may not be a very obvious factor but it did help swing the vote from the opposition to the ruling party, Wong told malaysiakini recently.
Although the issue was not widely discussed in Indera Kayangan, we cannot deny the fact that Islamophobia was very much at work when we heard the results, he added.
Political desperation
Others, however, believe that the governments monopoly of the media and its high-handed campaign tactics contributed to the ruling coalitions victory rather than dwindling support for the opposition.
Political observer Lee Siew Hwa for one, does not support the theory that the BN has regained its previous standing with the people.
A truly strong government, Lee said, would not impose increasingly repressive measures to silence dissenting voices.
She said the BNs continued use of the Internal Security Act and the indefinite ban on opposition ceramah (public talks) was a sign of sheer political desperation.
A simple analogy is the basic family unit. A husband does not resort to violence if he is confident in his relationship with his wife, said Lee.
Likewise, a strong government will see no need to enforce the Aku Janji or I Pledge contract on civil servants and cabinet ministers, added Lee, who works for a non-governmental organisation called Wimtec which documents labour activities.
Lee said a government that is confident of the peoples support would likewise see no urgency to include the electronic news media in the current Printing Presses and Publications Act with the objective of regulating information.
She said the BNs strong and mighty front and victories in the Sanggang, Teluk Kemang and Likas by-elections, the Sarawak state elections, and most recently in Indera Kayangan, were not a result of poor support for the BA but largely due to the ruling coalitions offensive approach in handling the growing support towards the opposition.
The BN has exploited all government machineries to counter BA attacks on election issues such as the Islamic state, mother tongue education and ISA. The BN has strengthened its young womens team, Puteri Umno, to seep into villages, schools, colleges, the law fraternity and womens groups.
How can one fight against such massive propaganda? Lee queried.
Anwars marketability
At a glance, the BA may seem to be breaking apart at the seams since DAPs pull-out last September over the latters inability to resolve the Islamic state controversy with then coalition partner PAS.
Although DAPs departure left a dent in the opposition front, some quarters believe that it is healthier for the DAP to leave BA as the former is seen as an opportunistic party.
Unite when the going is good, abandon ship when the going gets tough, according to one.
At the rate the DAP is going it may only be able to capture one group of people, the Chinese-chauvinist types. In a few years time, this breed will be dying, Lee said.
Keadilan, on the other hand, is attracting many young professionals, students and civil servants, who want a more radical and multiracial approach to politics.
According to the partys secretary-general Sahri Bahri, since the new leadership took over in November last year, Keadilan has approved 1,414 members and 102 new branches nationwide with 10 new divisions in Sabah and three in Sarawak.
Despite government propaganda that Keadilan is a one-issue party, some opposition activists believe that it is in the partys best interest to revive the Anwar Ibrahim issue to revitalise the lost mood of the people and get them to refocus their struggle.
Jumpy over posters
The grassroots still remember the injustices against him. Anwars issue is still very much alive. It is wrong for us to simply abandon his cause, said former ISA detainee Badaruddin Ismail, popularly known as Pak Din.
Politicians only observe from the top. They are not in touch with reality. How can they say that Anwars story is no longer marketable? asked Pak Din.
He was commenting on Dr Chandra Muzaffars statement in Singapores Straits Times recently that ... Keadilan is very much weaker today. To a certain extent, it is emasculated. There is less concern about the Anwar issue. When I was in Keadilan, we already sensed this.
Chandra believes the shelf life of Anwar's sacking would have been shorter if not for the beating he took from former police chief Rahim Noor while in detention, and the unanswered questions surrounding his corruption and sodomy trials.
However, Pak Din, who is an activist with human rights group Suaram, insists the Anwar issue is still alive judging from the governments reaction to issues involving the former deputy premier.
He said posters carrying the slogan Jangan Lupa Anwar (Do not forget Anwar) which had been put up around the capital by a group recently had been torn down by police.
See the number of FRU personnel outside the Federal Court today (during Anwars appeal against his corruption charges yesterday) and we can see that the government still fears the peoples support for Anwar, he said.
Why dont we capitalise on this issue? The government hasnt given up on Anwar yet, but we in the BA seem to have done that, he added.
Confidence and insight
Apart from the Anwar issue, Pak Din believes that BA must start working on the ground now to shore up support for the coming general elections.
We need to go on the offensive with strategies to counter the BN on various issues. We need to lobby various groups, we need to make a stand on the Islamic state issue. We need to dispel the fear that PAS would come to power on its own when we all know it is impossible for it to do so, he stressed.
Lee, who is a member of PRM, is also of the opinion that in order to recapture lost ground, BA should start going on the offensive, which it neglected to do last year.
With BNs aggresive approach towards the ISA detainees, Islamic militancy and Sept 11 issues, the real rakyat issues and the disgust towards BNs misconduct such as corruption and crony capitalism seem to have been swept away under the carpet.
Instead, by concurring that the opposition has become weaker, we give credit to the BN and acknowledge Mahathirs popularity, thereby forgetting the peoples real anger towards BN, she said.
By agreeing with BNs propaganda, and hence giving credit to the oppressive regime, as what some party leaders have been doing, the opposition has actually fallen into the BNs mass psychological trap, indirectly re-affirming BNs propaganda, she added.
Therein lies the real problem of the opposition front, Lee said.
It is not a lack of financial resources, a split in the party or factionalism that is tearing it apart but the lack of confidence and shallow insights of party leaders who are likely to destroy the soul of their parties by their narrow interpretations of reality.
