On the political side their decision to alienate and demonise Hindraf, to sideline Jeffrey in Sabah, to go in for three cornered fights, their implicit decision to sidestep PAS’s Islamic state agenda, the decision for Anwar not to contest for the top post in PKR are all instances of decisions that aggravates their position. All of this is just not cutting it.
On the ground, the poor people see no real difference between BN and PR. The thousands that voted in Batu Sapi,Galas, Hulu Selangor and Bagan Pinang are not even middle class, they are poor. It is not difficult to see why they are a bastion for BN.
BN has a firm grip on these poor through purse string control over their local leaders, and through the media mind control over the people themselves, feeding them with a regular diet of propaganda. BN never really solved their problems or never really will solve their problem. So, they do what the power elites in most parts of the world do – deceive the people and control them with mind control.
These disdvantaged and minorities groups now see nothing really different coming for them from PR even where PR is in power. So, from their standpoint, since they do not gain or do not see any gains from an unknown entity they have no real motivation to go away from a BN who they believe is doing things for them – rightly or wrongly.
As it stands in a General Election, PR only has the short campaigning period, and a whole host of promises about what they will do if elected. They can never match what BN can do with the might of their machinery in that period, besides what they do daily – with full 24 hour TV blasts through every household in the country with their hard hitting propaganda, all the newspapers working as their party organs and the country’s entire administrative structure ready at their call.
PR has nothing to match this might in a GE. The only way PR can challenge all of this is not in the event of the GE but well before it, during its tenure as a ruling party, to have policies that result in changes for the people and to use these as examples for things to come all over the country – plain and simple.
Ever heard of the Blue Ocean Strategy?
If the majority of the people, the poor, can see true benefits like improved employment, improved incomes, better housing, better educational benefits, better treatment on contentious issues between the state and the people, then all of this BN electoral might will not make the difference when it comes time to vote . That is soemthing that UMNO cannot match because of the class structure of UMNO. The lack of such a program just hands the advantage to BN. The current Pakatan is competing iwht UMNO/BN in the red ocean.The result more Batu Sapi’s,Galas’s , Hulu Selangors and Bagan Pinangs all over the country in the next elections and every election thereafter – dashing all our hopes for change.
What all of the foregoing clearly means is that Pakatan cannot get to Putrajaya in their current avatar.If ever they are to get to Putrajaya, it will only be when the remake themselves in their policies and structures such that the people will truly begin they mean a difference to them. And get into the Blue Ocean space.
We need a “New Pakatan”.
The “New Pakatan” must take into account clearly all the needs and interests of all the disadvantaged and minority groups, a new policy on the socio economic front for the development of the poor, a development policy that is bottom up. Inclusivenss and increasing opportunities for all the minorities in the Peninsula and the people of Sabah and Sarawak. HRP and other opposition parties like SAPP, and marginalized factions in PR like Jeffrey’s group in Sabah and Sarawak have to be organically co-opted into PR and compromises have to be made by current PR warlords to allow these changes.
The structure and policies of Pakatan have to change if they are ever going to get anywhere near Putrajaya. The current Pakatan policies and structure will not make it. That is what Galas , Batu Sapi is really telling us once more. Will Pakatan take heed of any of these?
If people are just going to get old wine in new bottle, the people will prefer to stay with the old wine. Change cannot be only in rhetoric. Change must be real – CHANGE THAT TOUCHES THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE. Pakatan must truly represent the interests of the mass of people. It must stop saying it represents the people’s need for reform and change, while in reality pursuing the same policies and programs as the BN government.
PAKATAN MUST:
1) Begin to demonstrate that change on the ground in the 4 states under its administration.
2) Begin to actively champion a minimum wage policy and the limiting of imports of foreign workers
3) Raise the income of the common man in the 4 states by implementing the minimum wage policy in areas under Pakatan’s jurisdiction.
4) Establish a clear policy and plan for providing quality housing for the urban poor
5) Establish new land development schemes and other rural povert alleviation programs that are meant expressly for the rural poor and marginalized.
6) Find the finances by reallocating from the programs meant for the developer and business communities to these programs for the common man. Pakatan must stop saying they have no funds and must stop playing football with the Federal government on these issues as all of that is just counterproductive to their objective of getting to Putrajaya.
7) Immediately address the following issues relating to minorities :
a) Allay fear of the non-Muslims of the powers of the Syaria courts
b) Include HINDRAF’s and CIGMA policies into the PR’s vision for the nation.
c) Stop Mandorist policies on the Indian problem and start genuinely addressing the issues of the Indian marginalized in the 4 states.
d) Incorporate HRP, SAPP and CIGMA into PR’s fold. Begin negotiations with them and make necessary adjustments to accommodate them
If Pakatan does not get to work immediately on these issues, they will never make it to Putrajaya. PAKATAN WILL NEVER MAKE IT TO PUTRAJAYA IF THEY DO NOT TAKE HEED OF WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE SAYING.
N.Ganesan
1 comment:
Welcome back to reality. You must have just realised now that deeds are more important than words. Talk is cheap to a politician. But people are too gullible including you.
You should realise by now that pkr elections show Anwar and his ilk are playing the same old dirty political games. It's nothing about rakyat or you. It's just pure self interest. Otherwise how can you explain batu Sapi. Ansari was chosen because azmin needs the Sabah votes for this week election. they don't care about pkr. Again nothing about you and me. Just pure self interest.
But Anwar is a sweet talker. A great orator. After the election he will come up with excuses and sweet talk you into forgetting the deeds. And as a gullible person you will again believe and die for him. He has demonstrated this amazing gift time and again. He led thousands of people in an anti Jew tirade after a friday prayer and then in a couple of weeks apologise for the tirade with the Jews. If betrayals can be forgotten what more this pkr election scam. Similarly on vote buying. He can do it righteously but not bn.
To you as a partisan supporter you don't see any wrong. But to most fence sitters it's a hypocrite at it's worst. Worse there's no delivery at all. You can blame bn as you want. But it can never change what pkr is.
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