ABOUT a week ago, I was sharing an exquisite teh tarik at a kenduri in Klang – not my favourite place, having had the ill luck to end up as a crime statistic there not once but twice – when I heard something interesting.

 

The table next to mine was in an animated diuscussion about, what else, the upcoming general election. 

 

Now there was a sort of minor VIP at the table – a businessman who was a local bigwig and a staunch supporter of the Barisan Nasional (BN). He was telling those at the table – and all the evesdroppers such as myself – about a recent party machinery meeting where the division chiefs were told an interesting tidbit: according to the latest "intel" from Special Branch, Selangor will be back in the BN fold after GE13. We will win by a at least seven seats, said the VIP, who was smiling smugly. 

 

The seats that he mentioned as "definitely winnable" included Seri Andalas, Pandamaran, and Seri Muda, all of which he claimed had been poorly served by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) reps. 

 

"They can talk about how corrupt the former BN state government was, but basic services such as rubbish collection and maintanence of public infrastructure were carried out. 

 

"Now, garbage collection is a major problem, and the rakyat is being held to ransom over water issues. What's the point of trumpeting free water when there's no water to begin with? So short-sighted. People are fed up.

 

"The midde-class may still talk about BN's flaws but after 5 years, the poor people in Selangor are talking about PR's flaws too. And there is enough momentum there to push PR out," he said in a booming voice to a not altogether appreciative audience.

 

Oh, he did add that BN components have not been idle, and that a lot of money is being splashed out to ensure that the message gets across. He claimed "a major property developer" is allegedly bankrolling the "Win Selangor Back for BN" campaign and hundreds of youths are being paid to "reach out to voters".

 

In all, it sounded pretty dire for Pakatan, and PKR especially as the seats "ripe for plucking" were all from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's camp, with a few from PAS and two from DAP. 

 

If Pakatan loses Selangor, it would be disastrous for PKR. After all, DAP appears unshakable in Penang, while come hell or high water, Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat and PAS will hang on to Kelantan. What has PKR got?

 

Selangor was supposed to be the showpiece for the PR government – this is how we will manage the country, its leaders had said.

 

In some ways, the state can be proud of the way it has managed its coffers. It ranks top in investment according to latest figures, while the state has tabled a balanced budget in the past few years. Its cash reserves too, are high, around RM2.5 billion.

 

But it has not been immune from scandals – many originating from decisions made by its municipal councils. The councils of Klang, Sepang, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, Selayang and Ampang have, at one point or another, made headlines for all the wrong reasons. 

 

The state's inability to get the councils in line and its councillors to do a better job in safeguarding the people's interest is a cause of frustration and an opportunity BN plans to exploit.

 

The prolonged impasse over the water issue is also not doing anyone any favours. The finger pointing and the lack of progress made in regards to increasing the amount of treated water in the state (either through reducing water wastage through pipe leakage, etc., or by building more plants) is only resulting in Selangor citizens becoming rather uneasy over their supply.

 

Read more at: http://fz.com/content/selangor-ripe-plucking