SO, what did the political parties learn from the Johor state elections yesterday (March 12)?
From an observer’s point of view, it’s very simple. Barisan Nasional (BN) did not win over the majority of Johor voters and certainly has nothing to shout about.
The fact here is that the Opposition messed things up among themselves. Had the Opposition remained as a united front, they would have made a clean sweep.
The rationale
There were 2,599,797 registered voters in Johor, of which only 1,426,573 came out to vote. From this, a total 599,753 supported BN, while a total 826,820 rejected BN.
The best part, a whopping 1,173,224 voters did not come out to cast their ballots.
By right, only 43.11% came out to vote, while 56.89% remained at home. Therefore, it is baseless to say that BN won the elections. All they won was a majority of split votes.
Back to the drawing board
Firstly, PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has to hand over the leadership to someone else; next is for the Opposition to put up a united front.
This includes new players such as Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) and Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA). There are credible leaders there who cannot shine unless they become part of one strong force.
And it is ridiculous to say the Chinese have returned to the MCA and the Indians to MIC.
As an Indian myself, this is utter nonsense. No credible, honest Indian would ever support MIC. They just rode on BN’s wave and won.
There is still hope for a better Malaysia, but what needs to be done now is for all the other parties to get together.
Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), DAP, Parti Amanah Negara, Parti Warisan Sabah, PBM and MUDA must all become one strong formidable force.
Put all differences aside, sit down and reach a common consensus right from the start.
If Parti Pejuang Tanah Air has to be part of the equation, it must be without Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s participation. Otherwise, the voters are going to reject the Opposition again. It is time for those like Mahathir and Anwar to take a back seat.
If young, credible leaders step up and the Opposition gets together, BN can easily be booted out again. Decide on a prime ministerial candidate from the start, which could well even be a woman. – March 13, 2022
K Anandakumar is a contributor to FocusM.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main photo credit: New Straits Times
