However, Pakatan Rakyat presented a totally different image of itself during its second national convention in Penang yesterday.
Pakatan Rakyat national convention was showcase of its success in its administration in the four states it controls. It also issued a Common Policy Framework (CPF) and promised instant reforms within the first 100 days of the coalition taking over Putrajaya.
Pakatan Rakyat also expressed its willingness to cooperate with Barisan Nasional (BN) in a two-party system to reform the national political culture.
What Pakatan Rakyat should now do is to stress on performance, using its administrative success to compete against BN, so that the people will be aware of BN’s weaknesses, especially in the wastage of public funds and fraud.
Pakatan Rakyat should promote its pursuit of democracy, openness and diversity of political ideas, to provide the voters with a viable choice.
However, in the past two years since its electoral success in the March 2008 general election, Pakatan Rakyat has not be able to change its identity as an opposition front to that of a ruling party, even in the states under its control.
It is still acts as if it is the opposition although it is the government in the four states under its control.
Within Pakatan Rakyat itself, there have been constant internal conflicts and power struggle, giving rise to the erosion of public confidence in it.
Pakatan Rakyat should get its act together and strive to fulfil its role as the opposition in Parliament, and the government of four states. Its leaders and members must play the role of monitoring the BN rule and goings-on, and at the same time, provides the public with real viable constructive political options.
They should use the Dewan Rakyat to raise, debate and argue on matters of principle, seek to develop reasonable policies and laws, rather than waste time on minor issues, and play on politics.
If Pakatan Rakyat’s performance is reasonable, rational and forward-looking, it can build credibility over time, and naturally attract the support of those inclined to the middle, the knowledgeable and the young voters.
Pakatan Rakyat may gain some sympathy votes over the six-month suspension of four of its MPs, the WikiLeaks disclosure of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s case, the APCO Worldwide issue, and several other such matter, but it should not bank on these matters to capture Putrajaya.
Pakatan Rakyat must be able to see its own shortcomings, and get to work immediately after the national convention. It must do it fast as time is running out.
The first test for Pakatan Rakyat in 2011 is the by-election in Tenang in Johor. Johor has always been a BN fortress, and the semi-urban Tenang is seen as a BN stronghold.
Traditionally, people of Johor support BN. It is also the home state of Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
Tenang is a plantation area and said to be the foothold of MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek. Tenang has three plantation districts, and about 3,000 votes. The Pakatan Rakyat would need to get the support of at least 30 per cent of the plantation voters to win.
The Tenang state seat is within the parliamentary constituency of Labis, which is Soi Lek’s lair. MCA will certainly go all out to retain Tenang as its image and Soi Lek’s reputation depend very much on the party’s delivery of the Chinese votes at the by-election.
Datuk Chua Jui Meng, the newly appointed PKR vice-president, is set to lead the Pakatan Rakyat charge to win the Chinese votes in Tenang. The coalition needs at least 80 per cent of the Chinese votes to break through the BN fortress.
This by-election is expected to be held in January. Pakatan Rakyat must start mobilising and organising its members and supporters to do the anticipated fierce battle for votes.
Tenang is an opportunity for Pakatan Rakyato to show that it can, and is able to unseat BN at the next general election.
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