PETALING JAYA (March 16, 2008): It is indeed ironic that Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) which had only one seat in parliament and dismissed as about to slip into oblivion after the 12th general election, is now ready to head the government in Selangor and to lead the opposition in the Dewan Rakyat.Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail, whose party won 31 of the 82 seats garnered by the opposition coalition of PKR, DAP and PAS, is the apparent choice as parliamentary opposition leader unless she declines it in favour of others in her party or other parties in the group.
The party which many labelled as the front to fight for the cause of its president’s husband - sacked deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim - while he was in prison and now to fulfill his ambition to lead Malaysia, also won seats in the state assemblies of Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor.
In Selangor, PKR, which won 15 of the 56 seats, and heads the coalition with DAP (13) and PAS (eight), will now see former mentri besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo, whose aim was to see zero opposition in the state, sitting on the other side of the floor.
Khir is now clearing his office to make way for PKR secretary-general Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and his fresh new team of executive councillors.
Almost all of the 31 elected to sit in parliament and 40 to sit in the state legislatures are going to be law makers for the first time and most of them say that while it is an honour to serve, they also fear they might not live up to expectations.
Many people, including PKR members and supporters, are still wondering how this struggling party had suddenly become the choice of many voters, despite a slew of smear statements against its adviser nwar just days before polling day. Former PKR deputy president Dr Chandra Muzaffar and K.S. Nallakarupan had portrayed Anwar as a manipulative character and warned voters to be wary and not be taken in by his promises.
Despite this, thousands of people flocked to hear him (Anwar) speak at ceramah all over the country. Many braved heavy rain, muddy fields and massive traffic jams just to hear him speak.
Anwar is without a doubt a captivating speaker, but to see whether the promises he made would be fulfilled or if he proves Chandra and Nallakarupan wrong remains to be seen.
While voter’s grouses were pretty much the same all over the country – unhappiness over price hikes and corruption - what was it that made the party’s campaign more appealing to the masses? Could it be because of its non-racial appeal and approach?
Indeed, many advocates of multiracial and multicultural Malaysia see the emergence of PKR as the second largest block in the Dewan Rakyat as the beginning of the end of racial politics in the country.
PKR’s ceramah had always had a multi-racial make-up of organisers, speakers and the crowd that showed up was united in their hatred for corruption, mismanagement of public funds, cronyism and arrogance of some leaders in the ruling party.
While Umno spoke to its crowds about upholding Malay rights and privileges, MCA about upholding the rights of its own community, especially Chinese schools, and MIC about pushing Indians forward via education, PKR invoked a sentiment where each race was to take care of, and be there for the other.
“They are our brothers and we need to look out for them, too,” Anwar told the Malay crowds, referring to the plight of the Hindu Rights Action Force’s (Hindraf) leaders and praising them for speaking up, invoking shouts of “Makkal Sakti” from the multi-racial crowd.
Anwar on the eve of polling day asked the Malays to be protectors of the two races by asking the Malays to protect the Chinese and Indians from being sucked into racial riots that may be “engineered” by some parties if the opposition won.
This only served to make all three feel secure with one another, instead of being suspicious and protective of each one’s rights, judging form the pleasant exchanges made by the crowds with each other during the talks.
PKR campaigners were able to draw large crowds from among ordinary Malaysians because they keep harping on bread and butter issues, the only issues relevant to the low-income earners who form the bulk of PKR supporters.
Due to the camaraderie fostered among the three races in PKR in Ijok during the campaign period, shouting the party slogans together, an Indian PKR member who tried gingerly shouting “takbir” while entering his office the Monday (March 10) after the election received the response “Allahuakbar” from his Malay office mates.
All this makes one wonder if race-based politics is actually beginning to go out of fashion after 50 years, thus making the multi-racial make-up and approach of PKR relevant and more appealing to the masses.
Maria J. Dass
THE SUN
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