Is Pakatan Really Ready To Rule?

ARCHIVES 2013

By admin-s On Feb 28, 2013

Would voters blindly vote for Pakatan parties without knowing who will be the country’s leader if the opposition coalition happens to win? We will have to wait and see.

Syed Zahar, Malaysian Digest

EVERY Malaysian is well aware that the pending 13th General Election (GE13) would be the best chance for Pakatan Rakyat to take over the Federal Government. In terms of odds, many are saying that the possibility is 50-50 while others insist the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) will have no chance in reclaiming their traditional two-thirds majority in Parliament.

The extent of the loss of confidence in BN is arguable but the signs are there. For one, many agree that, despite the extensive time, money and effort spent on media campaign, particularly in the cyberspace battleground, the ruling coalition is losing its ground in the propaganda game.

In the run-up to the crucial polls, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had been going around stating that BN is going to win big in Penang and Kedah, but the reality is, the decision on who will end up ruling any state lies in the hands of the voters. So, it’s always a better bet to listen to the voters rather than politicians to know the truth on who voter favors in the run-up for polls. Muhyiddin is anything but disillusioned, however, at this point of time, the deputy BN chairman’s far-fetched statements are seen by those who know better as desperate attempts to propagate BN’s confidence.

Meanwhile, things aren’t so rosy in the Pakatan camp either. Despite the PAS Syura Council’s final decision – or rather indecision – on the usage of the word ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims, there seems to be no closure on the issue. There are protests against the decision not only from DAP but from within PAS itself. But the ‘Allah issue’ is not the only thing that Pakatan have been shilly-shallying over. Forget about the non-existent shadow Cabinet, the most vital matter over who will be Pakatan’s choice as Prime Minister should Pakatan wrest federal power is still in question.

Many would have thought the three Pakatan parties would unanimously pick their Opposition chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as their ‘chosen one’ but this is not the case. PAS of late have expressed its hesitance to accede to Anwar becoming PM despite agreeing to it previously. In addressing this matter, its information chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man Tuan Ibrahim had said that at the moment, in theory, all component parties will follow Pakatan’s status quo.

“But I believe we will have to take into consideration the election results as well.

“We need to see which party is more dominant in terms of winning contested seats because it can determine who should become the PM,” Tuan Ibrahim had told The Mole.

He said there will be two deciding factors which will determine a leader’s appointment to the post.

“Firstly, it depends on the number of seats won by the party. Secondly, all parties in Pakatan Rakyat must agree on the person to be appointed as the Prime Minister.”

Meanwhile, DAP national chairman Karpal Singh had maintained that Anwar will be PM if Pakatan wins in the next general election and dismissed such talks as a mere speculation. However, there are widespread rumors of PAS’ Syura Council rejecting Anwar’s as Prime Minister in waiting though it has not been officially confirmed or denied by the council.

There are also rumors saying that Pakatan is also keen to have Umno MP for Gua Musang Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as the candidate for the opposition coalition’s Prime Minister. Tuan Ibrahim, however, dismissed these rumors as baseless speculations as Razaleigh or better known as Ku Li is not a member of any Pakatan parties.

While there are mixed reactions to the current administration of Pakatan-ruled states (Penang-DAP, Kelantan-PAS, Kedah-PAS and Selangor-PKR), the uncertainty over who will be the coalition’s chosen candidate for the PM post is a cause for concern for all Malaysians as election draws near. It has been more than four years since the last election and yet, Pakatan have failed to finalize on the matter…and it looks like the shadow Cabinet will never see the light of day.