BN, particularly Umno, had “lost badly” on the sex video issue and Anwar had become more popular as a result.

Election not this year, Karpal believes BN has too many issues going against it.

KUALA LUMPUR: Despite widespread speculation that the 13th general election will be held this year, DAP chairman Karpal Singh does not think so.

He believes Barisan Nasional (BN) is not yet in the position to be confident of winning; it still has too many issues to resolve, including:

• the backfiring of its attempt to smear Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s name through the release of a pornographic video;
• the possibility that states ruled by Pakatan Rakyat will refuse to dissolve their state legislative assemblies until they have served their full terms; and
• the bad state of the economy.

Karpal said BN, particularly Umno, had “lost badly” on the sex video issue and Anwar had become more popular as a result.

He described the three men who promoted the video – all associated with Umno – as lacking in credibility.

He believes BN has learnt from the Sarawak election that capitalising on the video will be to its disadvantage.

“People are sick and tired of this kind of gutter politics, especially with the kind of credibility possessed by those characters behind this video.

“Several people have viewed the entire video, but they were not sure the man in the sexual act was Anwar.

“Furthermore, there has so far been no indication from police that they have recorded a statement from the girl who allegedly had sex with Anwar. She is the key witness in this case.

“BN has put itself on trial in this (sex video) and it should wait for the verdict from the people. The BN lost badly on this issue.”

Karpal also said that the governments of Penang, Kelantan, Selangor and Kedah would prefer to complete their five-year mandates.

“We are in power in these states and I don’t see why we should agree with the BN in seeking a fresh mandate from the people.”

He said that it was clear from the constitutions of these states that the ruling party had the final say on when to dissolve their legislative assemblies.

He also expressed confidence that Pakatan would be able to take back the Perak government from BN.

“Perak voters are just waiting to vote BN out,” he claimed.

Tough fight in Selangor, Kedah

However, he said, Pakatan must be careful about Kedah and Selangor. “The battleground of course will be Kedah and Selangor, where BN might pose some serious challenge, especially in Malay-majority seats.”

He believes Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s circle knows that BN needs more time to regain voters’ confidence after the failure of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s administration to make good on its promises of democratic and judicial reforms.

“Najib and others in BN are fully aware of this fact and working hard to secure back public confidence,” he said.

He also said that the economy was too sluggish and inflationary tendencies were too obvious to favour a BN win if the 13th general election were to be called this year. He described these as the “bread and butter issues” of any election.

Voters would also be wondering how the Port Klang Free Zone and Sime Darby scandals would be resolved, he added.

“Voters are more mature now and they are not going to allow themselves to be distracted by minor issues like whether to call for a royal commission of inquiry over a sex video.”

On the other hand, he said, there were plenty of issues that Pakatan could capitalise on, such as the ongoing sodomy trial of Anwar, the Interlok issue and the soaring prices of essential goods.

He said the result of the Sarawak election had compelled BN to reassess its strategies, especially in facing urban voters.

“They (BN leaders) know that they cannot anymore rely on promises of development projects in return for votes.

“We in Pakatan generally expect the general election to be called next year, since the current political scenario does not favour BN.”