It could cause the alliance to lose rather than gain seats in the 13th general election, says its DAP Malay Affairs coordinator Zulkifli Mohd Noor
(FMT) - GEORGE TOWN: A Malay DAP leader has warned Pakatan colleagues against the egoism, cronism and nepotism associated with BN, saying that it could cost the opposition bloc the next election.
DAP Malay Affairs coordinator Zulkifli Mohd Noor said he detected this inflated sense of self-worth in Pakatan leaders, especially from PKR, whenever he dealt with them.
He fears that this attitude would cause the alliance to lose rather than gain seats in the crucial upcoming 13th general election.
Zulkifli said this egoism has emerged from the fact that the next general election is near and every wannabe leader in both BN and Pakatan are jostling to contest in this election.
Political observers feel the coming election is a watershed moment for both Pakatan and BN, resulting in their strategic planning machineries to operate at a feverish pace.
Zulkifli said Pakatan must not allow the political culture of BN such as egoism, cronism and nepotism to engulf their struggle.
“It would be meaningless to win a political battle if the winner proceeds to duplicate what the loser had practised in the past,” Zulkifli said at press conference here.
Zulkifli has a message for several PKR upstart leaders – realise that they are relatively new compared to the likes of DAP or PAS.
They must therefore display a greater level of respect and tolerance towards the party elders in DAP and PAS, he said.
He urged the Pakatan leadership council to ensure that the winning trait of its candidates be given precedence rather than about whose crony is entitled to contest where or how.
Pakatan must reject cronism and nepotism when it comes to the selection of candidates, Zulkifli said, adding that they must decide on the calibre of their members to ensure that they can win on their own merits and not on the shoulders of either Pakatan or BN.
What happened in the “political tsunami” of the 2008 general election has passed.
“Nobody should be living in the past. Malaysians have grown wiser and become more politically intune as a result of it,” said Zulkifli.
Independent candidates
Although racial and religious tensions have somewhat grown, Zulkifli said Malaysians have grown ascustomed to the concept of a “two political system”, where with greater check and balances, the people are the ultimate beneficaries.
This has also meant that the people would scrutinise the candidates fielded by either BN or Pakatan.
