analysis Barisan Nasional leaders and their ardent supporters would like the world to believe that their victory in the just concluded Indera Kayangan state assembly by-election was due to the people's unwavering confidence in their rule.

The MCA candidate, retired Chinese school headmistress Oui Ah Lan, beat Keadilan's Khoo Yang Chong, a former school teacher, with a majority of 2,592 votes.

It was an excellent performance for the ruling party despite the barrage of criticism against component member MCA which is mired in controversy since it took over two Chinese dailies Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press in May last year.

Critics and even members of its own party have said that the takeover was not only a "blow to press freedom" but a total disregard of the community's wishes.

In the nine-day campaign period which started on Jan 10, several Chinese education groups such as the SJK (C) Damansara Save Our School Committee and Jiao Zong had lobbied support for Keadilan by magnifying MCA's lack of commitment in mother tongue education.

Despite the helping hand, Khoo only managed to garner 1,687 votes compared with Oui's 4,279. This was 618 votes more than the number of votes obtained by former BN state assembly representative Khor Liang Tee when he defeated Keadilan's Ko Chu Liang by 1,974 votes in 1999. The seat was left vacant following Khor's death on Dec 19 last year.

This amazing feat have led oppositionists and analysts to conclude that BN's victory could only come about due to the fear of Islamic extremism following the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

The government had capitalised on this fear, they say, even before the election date was announced, via the media, ceramah (public talks) and every opportunity they could muster linking the gross Taliban atrocities in Afghanistan to PAS which was not even contesting in that area. But by virtue of its association with Keadilan and PRM in the embattled Barisan Alternatif, PAS was fair game in the smear campaign.

Violence and FRU

Observers noted that the entire election process during campaigning right up to polling day was tarnished with violence and intimidation on BN's part. The opposition has lodged several reports on the matter at the Kangar police headquarters during the campaign period.

There were reports of at least five cars damaged and several brawls between supporters of the contesting parties, resulting in at least three opposition supporters being bashed up. One had sustained injuries on his chest, another had his arm broken and someone ended up with 11 stitches on his head on the eve of election day.

Government leaders through the mainstream media have attributed incidents of violence to the opposition. Yet there was no police report lodged on them, possibly because there were no such acts as, according to Keadilan party workers, the opposition have decided not to retaliate regardless of the provocation or result "Biar kena belasah, biar orang nampak bukan kita yang belasahkan orang (let us be bashed up, let others see that we are not the ones who are bashing people up)."

The ruling BN had also utilised every public machinery such as the media and police to ensure its victory. Government officials claim that certain media blackout and heavy police presence before and on election day were for the sake of 'national security'.

But was it necessary to 'order' a team of Federal Reserve Unit personnel to accompany Khoo and Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail on their walkabout two days before election day?

Was it necessary to station at least three police trucks, 50 police personnel and cordon off three entrances to a ceramah site two days before election day?

"To prevent traffic jams," was one police officer's reply. But traffic jams have been common in Kangar since Jan 10 as the roads are too narrow to accommodate the sudden influx of vehicles from out-of-towners who were there for the campaign.

Dinners, get-togethers, house-to-house visits and ceramah are common activities during election time and are permitted by the country's election laws.

Yet, two days before election day, FRU personnel prevented an opposition ceramah in Jalan Seruling where Keadilan's main operations centre was located. Coincidentally, Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who is a well-known crowd puller, was expected to speak that night. However, he did not turn up as he was held back at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport due to flight problems.

Intimidation and news blackout

The government-controlled media did not escape the intimidation either.

Malaysiakini learnt that there were "instructions" to newspaper editors not to report incidents that would 'tarnish' the government's image, such as acts of violence by BN supporters, the MCA split or images and pictures of rotten fish heads.

The term "rotten fish head" was often associated with MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik since the party split into 'Team A', led by Ling himself and 'Team B', led by deputy president Lim Ah Lek.

The Sun was rapped for carrying a Bernama report on FRU personnel allegedly barging into the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, disrupting and postponing a meeting between the head of governors of the United Chinese School Committees Association a few days before polling day.

The meeting was to endorse a proposal to the government to convert a nearly completed vision school in USJ to a Chinese primary school.

It is also learnt that two reporters from a popular English daily were rapped for their aggressive style of questioning, and a fearless coverage of the by-election. A reporter was said to have been sent back to the newspaper's headquarters in Damansara as his news coverage had irked Perlis Menteri Besar Shahidan Kassim.

And two days before election day, opposition leaders were frantically trying to refute claims that the powers that be would somehow know how the votes were cast. Keadilan had to issue a press statement urging voters to come out and vote, assuring them that their votes were secret.

Can the BN then unashamedly claim that their victory was honestly earned, deserving and secured on a level playing field?

Common of totalitarian states

Election victories are no strangers to totalitarian states, says L Chuah, a former teacher who writes occasionally for malaysiakini.

He said, "Look at the elections in the former communist states and we can find fantastic lopsided victories of the powers that be."

According to Chuah, the ingredients for such "victories" never change: absolute control of the mass media, lies, calumnies and threats reinforced by physical intimidation, and even arrests made against anyone or any party that shows even the slightest sign of public support.

"The use of phantom voters isn't original either. Yet even with all such totalitarian measures, the ruling party still wasn't sure; it still had to send security forces to accompany opposition politicians on their walkabouts," Chuah said.

"And with all such shameful, morally reprehensible acts, some BN politicians and their quislings still have the thick skin to proclaim a victory," he said.