IPOH: Although public anger over the 2009 power grab in Perak appears to have dissipated, Barisan Nasional still has some way to go before it can be confident of winning the state in a free election.
A random survey in Ipoh indicates that most voters would again vote for Pakatan Rakyat, more because of dissatisfaction with BN policies than the desire to punish it for ousting the government they voted into power.
Their main concern seems to be to choose the party that is more likely to be sensitive to their needs and concerns, and several participants in the survey said the short-lived Pakatan government showed some promise in this regard.
“The BN ruled for 50 years before 2008, and we had no means of measuring its performance,” said Wong Hoe Hong, who operates a camera shop. “When Pakatan took over, at least we could see the difference.
“To me the important factor is that we need to have this benchmark to keep the BN in check.”
The subject of the power grab seldom came up during the FMT interviews, seeming to confirm what a Pakatan survey found out last January—that voters had calmed down somewhat since early 2009.
According to the Pakatan findings, the opposition alliance would win 33 of the 59 seats in the state assembly if an election were held last January, fewer than the number it could have won if an election were called immediately after the power grab. A similar Pakatan survey in February and March 2009 found that it could have won 40 seats.
But 33 is still better than 31, the number of seats Pakatan won in the 2008 election.
BN sleeping on the job
A 60-year-old man who sells bread for a living said one could not demand too much from Pakatan because its hands would often be tied for lack of funding and other forms of support from the federal government. He feels this was why Pakatan could not fulfil some of its promises during the short time it was in power.
He said national issues, rather than local ones, would help determine which party he would support.
“BN has been sleeping on the job,” he said. “How serious is it about wanting to change? You see how it handles PSD scholarship matter? Fire the officers in charge if you are serious.”
Joanna Selvi, a pharmacist in her 20s, echoed his sentiments. She said she would give Pakatan a chance because she was frustrated with what was happening on the national front.
“You don’t only look at Perak. On the national front, the same issues are coming up over and over, like scholarships or Anwar’s sex trial. It’s the same old thing and it is very frustrating.”
Jeslyn Amarasekera, 25, said even voters of parents’ generation would want to give Pakatan a chance to prove itself.
“Most of the voters from the older generation have lived here all their lives. They have seen time and time again what the BN can—and especially cannot—offer, and they tend to romanticise what the other side can do. But what do they have to lose?”
Crowd puller Zambry
“I have been following Zambry on his functions and he is quite a crowd puller,” said Ed Shahrir, 21. “I think he has developed a rapport with the masses.”
Another interviewee, 42-year-old Chan, said she agreed that Zambry was pulling in the crowds, but said this was “nothing extraordinary” for a menteri besar.
Asked if she thought former menteri besar Nizar Jamaluddin of PAS was better at the job, she said: “It is hard to say because it was just too short a time. But if you ask me who I will vote for, I will vote for whoever can work for the people.”
A 56-year-old businesswomen, commenting on Zambry’s increased visibility, said it was “normal for the BN to do things before elections.”
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