Penang PKR resists 'biggest loser' tag

Penang PKR has conceded that it is losing influence among Malays, but insisted that it will be Umno that will be a “goner” come the 13th general election.

PKR stands to be the biggest loser among Pakatan Rakyat parties if waning Malay support turns critical, as most of its representatives are in either mixed- or Malay-majority constituencies.

But the party, which holds two parliamentary and nine state assembly seats in Penang, is not losing sleep over this.

State chief Mansor Othman (left) claimed that the situation is “still manageable”, although he warned against complacency.

“Be it party members, leaders, MPs or assemblypersons, we have to work doubly hard, to maintain and capture seats or garner more votes,” said Mansor, who is also Penang Deputy Chief Minister I.

To prepare for the next general election - widely anticipated this year or next although it is not due until 2013 - PKR has started to restructure or reorganise its election machinery.

Party members are trained before they are assigned as representatives to every village and polling station in Penang, Mansor told Malaysiakini.

The party is also aggressively countering attacks by rival Umno with its own brand of ‘propaganda’.

“We are ... distributing our own leaflets on our side of the story. We go house to house to meet with people, and frequently organise ceramah kelompok (talks for focal groups),” said Osman.

“In my own constituency in Penanti,  I have been going to the ground non-stop every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“I see that the number of participants at the events we organise are not getting less. I dare say, BN is a goner in Penang and maybe Kelantan...there is just no hope for them in these states.”

State PKR secretary and Penang assembly speaker Abdul Halim Hussein blamed the Umno-controlled media for the drop in Malay support.

He specifically said the Malay-language dailies have created the impression that Penang is led by a DAP Chinese government bent on marginalising the Malays.

“Penang used to have a Chinese chief minister too (under BN). The only difference is that his name is Lim Guan Eng, and not Koh Tsu Koon,” said Abdul Halim.

“But they make it out to look as if the state is being run totally by the Chinese who are marginalising the Malays...they have also been intensifying the perception by distributing flyers that DAP is anti-Islam.”

Abdul Halim listed a several controversies - from doctored photos showing Lim in a Muslim skull cap and another depicting him slaughtering a cow during Hari Raya Haji, to allegations that his name was used to replace the Agong’s in a sermon and that he had prohibited Muslims from participating in a procession on the Prophet’s Birthday last year.

The state government had also been made out to be involved in a series of evictions and demolitions of houses and hawker stalls belonging to Malays, he said, describing such reports as ‘malicious and slanderous’.

“The problem is we do not have a Malay media to counter all these allegations, while the mainstream media does not highlight our stand, our work, or clarifications,” he lamented.

“Most of the Malays, especially those in rural areas are not IT savvy; they still rely on the mainstream media. Many still watch RTM1, RTM2 and TV3; they still read Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia...unfortunately, they believe what they see and read.”

Abdul Halim agreed with Mansor that the only way to address these challenges is to go to the ground to meet the people.

“If we do not go to the ground ourselves, we will definitely lose out,” he added.

Turning point

Penang Umno Youth chief Norman Dahlan, however, thinks that Pakatan lost its credibility among voters when Bayan Baru MP Mohd Zahrain Mohd Hashim quit PKR to become an Independent last year.

“He left because he realised that Pakatan was all about empty promises,” he told a crowd of about 80 people at a ceramah in Bayan Baru recently.

Even after governing the state with its ‘competency, accountability and transparency’ principles for more than two years, Norman (in blue shirt) said he is still not convinced that Pakatan has brought tangible changes to the lives of  Penangites.

“In fact, we tend to see that more houses and hawker stalls belonging to the Malays are being demolished...but they do not touch stalls belonging to foreigners, like the Vietnamese” he alleged.

“What has Pakatan actually done for you? It was the BN who laid the foundation for most things, and Pakatan just took over all of them.”

He described Lim as a “great liar”, adding that he had lied about the RM100 senior citizen award not being haram for Muslims.

The allegations that the money was derived from gambling sources had upset the Malay community, with many having returned the money via Umno. The state has refused to accept the cash, claiming that it was not properly documented.

“Umno and its partners in BN can still play a role in Penang... think of your children’s future as they will be more and more marginalised,” he warned the mainly Malay crowd.