DAP fails to heed its own 911 warning
The fact that "the DAP secured a tissue-thin victory in Ketari Tengah with three votes" only and lost to the Barisan Nasional Sungai Dua and Bukit Tinggi implies that there was significant shift of Chinese votes for the BN (This discounts DAP's traditional stronghold of Kampung Perting with 3,700 registered voters, the largest number amongst all polling districts which presumably contributed the majority of the 4,949 votes garnered by DAP's Choong Siew Onn).
One of the BN's strategies was to harp on the renewed ties between the DAP and PAS (development and political stability being the usual themes in every election).
This strategy (the so called 9-11 trump card) seems to pay off once again seachange in political landscape of many countries, and Malaysia was no exception.
Lim warned the opposition parties not to ignore the significant implications of Sept 11 events which they would do so at their own peril.
The DAP, however, appeared not to have heeded its own warning when it collaborated informally with PAS and its allies Keadilan/PRM by accepting their last-minute campaign assistance in Malay areas.
Not only did such assistance in Ketari fail to secure more Malay votes but it also probably alienated a significant portion of Chinese voters.
What is after all the difference between DAP's being part of the BA coalition in support of PAS' Islamic state and outside such coalition but in informal collaboration?
When DAP publicity secretary Ronnie Liu commended opposition party PAS for delivering the votes from its hardcore areas and said that, "We just have to work more closely in the future if we want to make an impact," and in his next breath he nevertheless ruled out any future reconciliation with the opposition front, it may be asked whether ordinary people can understand how one can work closely with someone he cannot even reconcile with?
Lim had earlier spoken of the historic responsibility of the voters of Ketari to decide the meaning of the "Ketari effect" or
2) "whether the people of Ketari are to speak loud and clear on behalf of all Malaysians that while they stand as one with the government in opposing terrorism and extremism, they will not allow BN to use the 911 "terror" card to drown out the people's many legitimate concerns".
Well the voters of Ketari have decided in accordance to (1). It may not be because they are not vigilant of their rights or naive. It may be because an earlier more pertinent question has neither been raised nor answered by Lim: whether voting the BN out of power in favour of a PAS-led BA working informally with the DAP will lead to an installation of an Islamic theocratic state meting out Hudud justice and whether this new order will be democratic, accountable and responsive to the people's aspirations for justice, freedom, democracy and human rights (the very reasons for throwing out the BN in the first place).
Whilst the opposition parties still grapple with this question, the results of Ketari may give confidence to the premier to call a general election soon but not before the struggle between MCA's Teams A and B has been resolved first so that the BN's house is in order.
The fact that Lim Ah Lek of Team B has contributed in no small measure to BN's victory in Ketari implies that whilst Umno may arbitrate, it will find it difficult to take sides of whether the incumbent or the challenger in the MCA's internal conflict.
