Barisan Nasional for the first time since 1969 was denied 2/3 majority in the Parliament. At the final tally, Barisan Nasional has lost 90 seats in Parliament to the Opposition parties. It has also lost Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kedah and Terengganu while Kelantan remains under the Opposition control. It is estimated that 52% of the voters supported the Opposition, though the breakdown between races are unknown at the moment.
Barisan Nasional Chairman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi urges Barisan Nasional supporters to remain calm, saying that the voters of all races have spoken, and their wishes must be respected. At the same time, he urged the Opposition not to agitate people to avoid another May 13.
He said he is disappointed with the results, accusing the Opposition for poisoning the peoples' minds with lies spread over the cyberspace and vowed to clamp down on bloggers as a threat to national security. He also warned that without the 2/3 majority, Barisan Nasional government when re-formed under a new Parliament may not be able to push through reforms that he has promised the people, but he will do his best to keep his promises made under the Barisan Nasional General Election Manifesto.
Arising from the debacle, there is indication within the Barisan Nasional camp that the Prime Minister will accept responsibility for the unprecedented set back and at the appropriate time will surrender the reigns of power to his deputy, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
In the meantime, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who led the assault for Parti Keadilan Rakyat, which secured 30 Parliamentary seats, claimed that the Barisan Nasional government can still rule effectively as long as it has a working majority, but now it must listen to the people as the people has spoken loud and clear that things have to change. PKR secured majority seats amongst the Opposition parties in Selangor, and it is anticipated that a candidate from PKR will take the helm of the covetted Menteri Besar seat for Selangor.
In Penang, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang in a frank and emotional statement thanked Malaysian voters for making his birthday wish come true, and that his decades of struggle for justice and fairness have finally paid off. Overall, DAP secured 30 Parliamentary seats and is anticipated, for the moment to be returned as Opposition leader. It is anticipated that as DAP secured the majority of the state seats, Lim Guan Eng will be the new Chief Minister.
Speaking beside his father, Guan Eng promised the Penang people that with a very strong team of assemblymen elect, he will bring far reaching changes to Penang so that in the mid term, Penang could catch up with Singapore, and hopefully reverse some brain drain from Malaysia. He said Penang and Selangor, as the two most developed states in Malaysia, will also blaze the trail to see how Malaysia can move forward from being dependent on the New Economic Policy, but at the same time promise to protect the interest of the poor regardless of race or religion.
It remains unclear which party will take the lead in Terengganu, Kedah and Perak but negotiations are under way. According to party insiders, it is anticipated that the Menteri Besar positions in three states will be divided equally between the parties, with Speaker Dewan Undangan Negeri role given to the party that wins the next highest number of seats, to ensure that the states will be governed in a transparent manner, and to show that Barisan Rakyat practices 'real' democracy, power sharing and provides checks and balances internally.
The political leaders for the three main Opposition Parties have also indicated that henceforth, they may formally apply to be established an umbrella coalition known as Barisan Rakyat (BR), which they attribute to the mastermind Raja Petra Kamaruddin, a highly regarded blogger who many said is influential and even instrumental in the Opposition victory. The Opposition Parties, it is learnt, will extend a formal invitation to RPK as he is well known, to join BR.
Perhaps jubilating from the unexpected victory, there is also talk on the ground that the Opposition parties may dissolve to become just BR, thus creating a two-party system like the United States of America or to some extent the United Kingdom. But Kit Siang said all factors need to be taken into account and urges supporters to temper their excitement. He said "if it is good for the rakyat, it certainly warrants serious consideration. But let us for now take it one step at a time. We have a historical opportunity to instead talk, do the walking, and show that the Opposition is not merely a convenient coalition".
Asked what the Opposition will do in Parliament, Kit Siang said at the top of his head, creation of shadow cabinet and to have an Opposition research secretariate to bring greater quality to debate on bills proposed by the Barisan Nasional Government. He also thinks the government may now be more receptive to the idea of private members' bills, which could range from anything to do with abolishing the Internal Security Act, creating the IPCMC, creating an Independent Commission of Anti-Corruption, creating an Independent Commission for the Selection and Promotion of Judges, Freedom of Information Act and Neutrality of Civil Service Act. It will all require tremendous financing, but the political veteran believes that now that BR is a viable force to be reckoned with, right thinking members of the society would be more prepared to give financial contributions for a just cause.
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