GUEST COLUMNISTS

For the ruling politicians to describe these voters as being easily "duped" and "taken for a ride" – or basically plain stupid – for exercising their democratic rights is not going to earn them any respect.

Azam Aris, fz.com 

Many political analysts predicted that the 2008 general election was the worst case and the BN would be able to rise from the bottom. The MCA believed in the prediction and thus, passed the motion of not joining the Cabinet if the party performed worse than the previous election. Umno, MCA, Gerakan and other BN component parties must now adjust their mentality and face up to the new political situation, particularly the thorny political fanaticism.

Lim Sue Goan, Sin Chew Daily

Toppling him now for his deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin, could lead to very costly rifts in the UMNO, which the party might not be able to afford. Any change in the current leadership would probably signal that the UMNO will veer to the conservative right, counterintuitive to what the electorate might be saying.  Recall that it was UMNO moderates such as Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahrir Samad who profited the most in the election.

Murray Hunter, Geopolitical Monitor 

Stephanie Sta Maria, fz.com

Unlike the parties graciously accepting the results in the Philippines, the coin toss if used here could invite disastrous consequences.

By Syed Nadzri Syed Harun, FMT

Coming just after a blistering general election in this country, the story about how the toss of a coin settled a dead-heat vote in the Philippines was simply amusing.

Of all the kernels of facts about the elections, we know that along with rural voters, a higher proportion of females also leaned heavily towards BN. 

Thus far, relatively large rallies - in the tens of thousands - not only in PR strongholds such as in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, but also in BN controlled states such as Johor and Negeri Sembilan - suggest that the opposition remains focused and agitated about making sure the issue of electoral fraud does not become a mere footnote.

Sunil Kukreja, Asia Sentinel 

PAS and Indonesia’s PKS ponder their political future in the wake of new challenges ahead. In the case of PAS, will it make up for its failure in Kedah and Kelantan? 

Karim Raslan, The Star 

Eric Loo, fz.com

A friend emailed a photo story on May 3 of "foreign workers" arriving at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal, KLIA, in Sepang. It said the workers were being brought in to vote for Barisan Nasional (BN). Phantom voters!

To join or not to join the Cabinet, either way is a dead end for MCA. All I can say is, why the brainless bet in the very first place? In the absence of support from the Chinese community and recognition from the government, MCA’s future is bleak.

Tay Tian Yan, Sin Chew