How Anwar won over the fence-sitters

by Tan Yi Liang
and Karen Arukesamy
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: Tuesday’s
thumping win by Parti Keadilan
Rakyat de-facto leader Datuk
Seri Anwar Ibrahim was due to
his party’s ability to win over the
fence-sitters, political analysts say.
Wong Chin Huat, a journalism
lecturer of Monash University
Malaysia who is doing a PhD thesis
on electoral systems and party
politics, told theSun that Anwar
had “solidly captured the middle
ground” to win in Permatang Pauh.
“In Malaysian politics, you have
both the BN and Opposition parties
controlling 30% of the hardcore
base vote, and the 40% in the
middle will determine victory, and
in Permatang Pauh, he (Anwar)
solidly captured 70%.”
He pointed out that the landslide
victory was proof of the failure of
Barisan’s tactics to deny Anwar
Permatang Pauh.
“There were two things that
turned off voters in the recent
by-elections. One was the sodomy
allegations, and the other was the
playing up of racial sentiments.
The twin attacks on Anwar did
not hold water; they actually
backfi red.”
He said the support given to
Anwar by senior Pas leadership
was also a “victory factor”.
On the sodomy allegation, a
replay of the one in 1998 which
had failed, and on the challenge to
swear on the Quran, Anwar was
supported by religious fi gures such
as PAS’s Datuk Nik Aziz and Datuk
Harun Din who debunked the
necessity and appropriateness of
swearing on the Quran, said Wong.
He said BN’s divided messages
to Malay and non-Malay voters had
also contributed to their defeat.
“With regards to why Anwar
gained Chinese support, despite a
BN candidate fl uent in Chinese, the
Chinese saw the message over the
candidate. BN tried to play a divideand-
rule game by portraying
(Datuk) Arif Shah (Omar Shah) as
a pro-Chinese candidate on one
hand, while attacking Anwar as a
Malay traitor,” said Wong.
He cited an incident where a
leafl et was circulated calling on
the Malays to reject the DAP-led
government in Penang, with an
image of a pig’s head placed next to
the heads of Kit Siang and Karpal.
This did not go down well with
Chinese voters.
“So no matter how profi cient
Arif Shah was in Hokkien or
Mandarin, it would not have
helped,” said Wong, who pointed
out that Umno’s exploitation of
the UiTM issue raised by Selangor
Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid
Ibrahim had also alienated the
Chinese.
Wong said the consistency in
the messages from Anwar were
also major factors in his big win.
“Anwar has been consistent
in his message for change, to free
the country from racial politics
and corruption and that message
has gone down well across
communities. The key
factor was that people
were frustrated with
the status quo with BN
politics and just wanted
a change,” said Wong.
Bridget Welsh,
assistant professor
of Southeast Asian studies
at Johns Hopkins University
credited Tuesday’s big win to a
fundamental desire by Malaysians
to “see changes in how their
government governs.”
There are three things that
matter – corruption, inclusion and
respect.
She said Malaysians are tired of
being talked down to, and that the
Barisan government now “faces a
problem of credibility.”
“No one believes in BN like
they did before, and there is a lack
of trust in BN leaders. Umno has
remained in a state of denial since
March 8.”
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
(UKM) political scientist Associate
Prof Dr Mohammad Agus Yusoff
attributed BN’s dismal performance
to its failure to learn from the last
general election results.
He said the BN government
could not accept the fact that
people were no more vulnerable
and could not be easily swayed by
whatever was dished out through
some mainstream newspapers.
“The people are becoming more
and more politically informed,
thanks to the alternative media.
They are insulting the intellectual
voters by trying to use the media
to play up their stories. The BN
government’s thinking gap is far
from the people’s. Their campaign
strategy is a failure. It is too outdated
and it is just not working.”
Agus said the the vote swing to
the Opposition was probably due
to the rakyat feeling that BN had
failed them.
“The people want something
but the BN gives a different thing.
Those who believed that the BN
government would do something
to change their lives are probably
upset,” he said.
“The ruling party could not
answer or respond to all the
questions put forth by Opposition
leaders. Anwar’s promise of a new
hope for Malaysia has somehow
convinced many, even some strong
BN supporters,” Agus said.
“BN has also lost the confi dence
of the Malays and non-Malays, It
failed to understand the people’s
grievances and that is how they
become silent voters.
“I am not denying that the BN
government has contributed a
lot in the past. But the present
leadership has failed to address the
rakyat’s grievances.
“It needs to rebuild the
confi dence of the people in BN and
its image.
“Stop all personal attacks on
the Opposition and show more
transparency,” said Agus.