I refer to the Malaysiakini report Hold snap polls to end deadlock.

Barisan Nasional should dissolve the Perak state assembly for the following reasons:

1. The Malaysian electorate will remember BN for taking in two ex-Pakatan Rakyat assembly persons who have been charged with corruption and for accepting an ex- DAP assembly person who overnight forsook her party’s ideals and defected because she was unhappy at not being given a Toyota Camry.

This will be a campaign issue in the next election and Malaysians will never forget these incidents. They will mock BN and I wonder how BN would recover.

Gerakan, MCA and MIC could be decimated in the next election if Pakatan could convincingly make this a campaign issue and make many Malaysian voters laughing at BN. Sarawak and Sabah could fall to the opposition too.

2. The Sultan of Perak’s decision is highly unpopular with his subjects. The overwhelming majority of Perak residents, including me, believe many Umno supporters want state-wide elections.

Many are fuming at the sultan’s decision but they could not express this openly for fear of expressing derhaka to the sultan. This silent protest is now turned against BN since they cannot openly express protest against the sultan.

I believe that this silent protest will permeate to the rest of Malaysia and is going to be translated into many votes against BN in the next election. BN should never underestimate the strength of this silent protest and immense anger among Malaysians.

Many Perak residents are of the belief that BN took control of Perak owing to the sultan’s decision and not because of Barisan’s popularity. How BN will live with this is to be considered. BN has won for now but it may lose big if it does not dissolve the Perak state assembly and return the mandate to the people.

It is clear also from the Internet sphere that many Malaysians all over the country are bewildered that a wise, educated and professional sultan could arrive at the decision not to dissolve the state assembly. The repercussions of that decision will be debated for many years to come and the monarchy will be a subject that many Malaysians will be talking about also for many years to come.

3. BN should listen to the voices from the Internet sphere. BN lost its two-thirds majority in the last election due to not listening to the voices from the Internet sphere. If BN still does not want to listen and reform, the next election could go badly for it.

If BN thinks it could re- capture Perak through ‘goodies’, it should think again. I think Perak residents will take these ‘goodies’ but vote again for Pakatan in the next election after seeing this episode. They are immensely angry.

4. If BN thinks that past power grabs did not translate into lesser support for BN, it should think again. Times have changed. Read the comments from the Internet sphere. Better still, conduct polls to be paid for by BN and talk to the people on the streets.

Now back to Pakatan. For it, all is not lost. Pakatan should continue with its legal battles to test whether the two ex-PKR reps had ‘legally’ resigned their seats. Perak Pakatan did very well in the short period they were in power. It should not feel embarrassed or ashamed.

Nizar Jamaluddin is highly popular with the overwhelming support of Malaysians in Perak. He will have a future.

Losing power in Perak is not a bad thing. It is a good thing but only if Pakatan seizes the opportunity. Re-group and re-think. There are many sympathetic voters out there who will vote for Pakatan in the next election only if PR learns from this episode.

These sympathy votes will not only be from Perak but they are from all over Malaysia including Sabah and Sarawak.

Malaysians hope that Pakatan will select good candidates for public office in the future. We all know this and it is strange to repeat - select those who are not easily seduced by money, who have a heart for the people, who are honest, well-educated, professional in their thinking and who are hardworking.

Pakatan must convince the electorate by the next election that it does have candidates who will not party-hop. Otherwise, Malaysians will instead cast protest against Pakatan.

Pakatan lost power in Perak because of a Toyota Camry and two ex-party men charged with corruption but BN should listen to the voices of the people rather than their fellow ministers and youth leaders.

They have been very vocal with some calling for Nizar to be banished and for his citizenship to be stripped. BN may have won for now but it may lose big if it does not dissolve the Perak state assembly soon.