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It was interesting to note that both PAS and UMNO supporters expressed concern about Hindraf, and how many of them believed in the widely-circulated rumour that the Chinese and Indian communities were now engaged in a sustained effort to undermine Malay rights in Malaysia. By Farish A. Noor
For more than a week now, Danny Lim of www.malaysiavotes.com and myself have been in Kelantan and Trengganu observing to goings-on during the election campaign. The mood in Kelantan and Trengganu are reminiscent of the days of the 1999 election, with the banner and poster war being fought in earnest. Our observations and analyses have been posted on www.othermalaysia.org and www.malaysiavotes.com; but below are some random samples of quotes and statements taken during the course of my fieldwork here: They point to an election campaign that has been fought out on a local terrain adopting local idioms that are attuned to local sensibilities; and they reinforce the impression that Kelantan and Trengganu are indeed states that are unique with a political culture of their own. This has been quite a different election campaign up north, folks… I. Faith, politics and promises: The resounding theme of both UMNO and PAS in Kelantan and Trengganu has been Islam and the role that Islam plays in the politics of the respective parties. Contrary to the concerns regarding human rights, transparency, accountability and the rule of law that have prevailed in the West coast, the tone and tenor of Malay-Muslim politics in Kelantan and Trengganu have been defined by Islam and the claim to be holier-than-thou. “Ya Allah, ya Allah, ya Allah ya Tuhan kami! Lingungi kito di Kelante, kita dikepung musuh yang dzalim” (Prayer of the head Imam at the pre-dawn prayers (sembahyang hajat) at the Muhammad IV Stadium, Kota Bharu) “Orgrae Kelante Tok Sir Terima Demo Puak yang Saman Hukum Tuhe” (PAS banner in Kota Bharu, reminding Kelantanese voters to reject UMNO on the grounds that the latter have prevented the enforcement of Islamic law) “Hei… Pak Loh nok date Kelante nak tegokkan hukum Isle… Ni ambo nampak tange dia kot tepi Michelle Yeoh pula! Imam Hadari mano tu?” (PAS supporter criticizing Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi after his photo with the actress Michelle Yeoh was circulated around the state; PCB (Pantai Cahaya Bulan, Kota Bharu) “Ambo raso maso tibo nok ikut BN pulak deh – Tok Guru meme orghe yang baik, tapi ambo dok sembahyang hajat dah berkali-kali, duit pitih tak dok jatoh dari langit deh!” (UMNO supporter lamenting the lack of wealth in Kelantan despite years of Ulama rule under Nik Aziz, Bachok) “62 Masjid dibina dalam masa 2 tahun” (UMNO banner claiming that more mosques have been built in Trengganu over the past 4 years, and that this is a new Malaysian record.) “Bina Masjid 250 RM juta untuk pelancung sahaja. Inilah Islam Hadari… Tolak BN!” (PAS poster in front of the Islamic Civilisation theme park, Kuala Trengganu; criticizing the construction of the crystal mosque which was touted as one of the latest tourist attractions to Trengganu) II. Loyalties, Local and Regional: Politics in Kelantan and Trengganu has been fought by both UMNO and PAS on the basis of local regional and state loyalties. Both parties attempted to field locally-born candidates to secure greater local support, and both PAS and UMNO appealed to the local sensibilities of the Kelantanese and Trengganu to bolster their respective positions: “Kito di Kelante ni dah tingge sorang. Di seluroh Malaysia ni Kelante lah sajo yang bertahe. Demo nak ambik semua, nak ambik semua negeri di semenanjung ni. Kelante lah benteng terakhir. Kita tak nok seroh pada demo! Kalau UMNO nak jaga Isle, nak jaga Melayu, noh, pi jaga Melayu di Trengganu, di Kedah, di Johor dulu! Nak date ke Kelante nok buat apo?” (PAS Parliamentary candidate for Kota Bharu Cikgu Rahim, appealing to the loyalties of the Kelantanese to defend Kelantan from UMNO at all costs; speech at Dataran Stadium Sultan Muhammad IV, Kota Bharu) “Ambo anak jati Bachok” (Slogan of Awang Adek, UMNO candidate for the constituency of Bachok, who played up his identity as a local boy) “Hoi! Calon Import buat ape? Tak Nak!” (UMNO banner denouncing PAS candidate Mat Sabu who is running for the seat of Kuala Trengganu, on the grounds that he was born in Kedah, not Trengganu) “Pade doh! Ambo Nak BN” (UMNO-Barisan youth slogan calling on young voters in Kelantan to vote for change and accept UMNO around Kelantan) “Dah 18 tahun… Come molek doh!” (PAS banner in Kota Bharu celebrating 18 years of PAS rule) Personalities, Old and New: This General Election will see a number of younger contenders and fresh new faces come to the fore. Kelantan and Trengganu were visited by practically all the leaders of UMNO, who stood by their local counterparts to give them support. The visit of Khairy Jamaluddin however sparked off the most interest and reaction, and in almost every conversation I had with the folk of Kelantan and Trengganu, Khairy was brought up. “Khairy Jamaluddin tu hengsem belako. Kalau mak chik muda lagi… eeeeeiiish!” (Toothless granny in Kampung Slow, Kuala Krai) “Pak Loh nok date ke Kelante nok tadbir kito? Ni deh, cubo tadbir anak mentua Khairy dia tu dulu deh! Kalau tok dape kontrol anak mertua dio sendiri nak date sini buat cerita kontrol Kelante lagu apa?” (Mat Speda, Jalan PCB, Kota Bharu) “Khairy date sini nak kecek orgre Kelante ni miskin tak terdayo… Nu orgre Trengganu yang miskin dio nak buat ape?” (Local villager in Pasir Puteh, angered by the statement that the people in Kelantan need more development aid from the UMNO-led government. PAS has widely disseminated information about the higher rates of absolute poverty in Trengganu next door which has been under UMNO rule the past four years) “Awang Adek tepuk dado tunjuk jari kato dio nak jadi bake Menteri Beso. Wuuh! Angkuh beno dio tu! Nak lawe Tok Guru? Kalau dah depe muka nak buko mulut pun tak soh deh!” (PAS supporter from Bachok, where UMNO candidate Awang Adek is running. Awang Adek has declared that should he win he will take over the post of Chief Minister of Kelantan. This remarked caused visible outrage among many PAS supporters I met.) “Doktor Hatta jange lupo deh? Kalau mene nanti mesti date balik ke kampung ni, buat klinik percuma!” (Ailing retired farmer in Kuala Krai, replying to PAS Parliamentary candidate Hatta Ramli’s promise to improve health services in his prospective constituency should he win the seat) “Yang kito nak kat Malaysia ni pemimpin yang bermutu, buke pemimpin yang penipu! Kok Amerika tu ado Barack Obama, yang Negro tu. Hei, baik pun Negro dio tu, dio tu orgre bermutu, bukan mace Bush yang buat cerito gilo di Irak. Nah, pemimpin begitu loh yang kito nak di Malaysia ni” (Rice stall owner, in front of Muhammadi mosque, Kota Bharu) Hindraf, Race and Communitarianism One important observation was how the issue of Hidraf (Hindu Rights Action Force) had made an impact in Kelantan and Trengganu, thanks in part to the local vernacular Malay press. It was interesting to note that both PAS and UMNO supporters expressed concern about Hindraf, and how many of them believed in the widely-circulated rumour that the Chinese and Indian communities were now engaged in a sustained effort to undermine Malay rights in Malaysia. “Takut jugo ambo bilo tengok kat TV tu, ado cerito orang India di KL buat pasai di kuil demo. Kuil tu masjid demo buke? Kalau demo doh berani nak buat pase di kuil, nanti apo pulo kalau jadi huru-hara di Malaysia ni?” (Nik Di, woodcarver, Pantai Cahaya Bulan, Kota Bharu) “Orgre UMNO bawa kito ke pejabe, tunjuk gambar demonstrasi di KL. Demo kato kalau orgre Melayu tak bersatu nanti habih Melayu di Malaysia ni, nanti semuo dape kat hak Cino dan India” (School teacher in Bachok who was asked to attend an official ‘pep-talk’ reminding them to ‘vote loyally’ and for the ‘greater good of the country’) Dr. Farish A. Noor is a Senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University Singapore and he is one of the founders of the research site www.othermalaysia.org
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The Blogs 
When he first spoke of abolishing NEP, I would have imagined the shock coming from UMNO, and perhaps also glee as they think that Anwar is digging his own political grave, for how could a Malay politician survive without NEP? It may well be that Anwar was desperate to distinguish PKR from UMNO in order to sustain its relevance, which drove him to decide that PKR needs to stand for something unique and powerful. Abolishing NEP is an incredibly inclusive gesture that NO POLITICAL LEADER in the history of Malaysia would dare to so boldly declare as his platform for reform.
Malaysian minorities are grateful for Anwar's gesture. It matters not that he may have done so because of political expediency, but Anwar is the skilled politician and orator and if there is ANYONE who can really bring Malaysians together again, it would be him, not the other bigots in UMNO.
What is more important is that fair minded Malays are slowly but surely tuning in and appreciating his message too. It is not difficult for Malays to feel ashamed that a Dato can buy a bungalow at a discount when an Indian is languishing on rented premises with no hope of buying a property at a discount. It is not difficult for Malays to sympathise that every other day, the minorities cringe at hearing this and that "BUMIPUTRA" or "ISLAMIC" project taking off here and there, which ends up as white elephants anyway.
The Opposition cohesion this time round may not have resonated far and wide enough to unseat Barisan Nasional, but with sustained momentum, and continued activism by all the sundry across the board, BN will have to reform to stay relevant whether they like it or not.
The rakyat does not want to wait another 5 years for an Opposition typhoon to sweep Barisan Nasional off the grid. If Barisan leaders have any semblance of wisdom left in them, they should take this opportunity to pre-empt their demise by starting meaningful reforms right after the elections. There are a lot of things that needs fixing and there is never an hour too soon to do so.