Thumbs-up for PKR and Pakatan but the honeymoon is over

Experts say Pakatan now needs to focus on micro-managing and governing their states

By Wong Choon Mei

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and his Parti Keadilan Rakyat won praise for stepping up pressure on the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition and for keeping in check potential abuses by the current federal government.

Of late, the effectiveness of Malaysia’s first significant opposition coalition helmed by Anwar’s PKR has come under scrutiny after failing to deliver on a promise to form a new federal government by Sept 16.

But political and economic experts said it still deserved the thumbs-up for raising public awareness on the extent of alleged corruption in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s administration. They also credited Anwar’s role in getting the federal government to be more accountable to the rakyat on economic issues such as fuel and food prices.

“The achievement of the PKR and the Pakatan Rakyat is not so much what they have done so far but more so, the abuses they have prevented in the federal government,” said Ramon Navaratnam, chairman of Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute.

“Barisan parliamentarians and assemblymen are now more conscientious, more alert and more careful about exercising greater responsibility because they know they are now being watched by a large opposition,” Navaratnam added.

“The perception, be they opposition sympathisers or Barisan sympathisers, is that the general public wants change and to a certain extent, they now have some change thanks to the opposition denying the BN of their two-thirds parliamentary majority. On a scale of 10, I would peg the opposition’s achievement so far at 8,” said Azrul Azwar, senior economist at Bank Islam.

At the PKR’s 5th annual congress held over the weekend, Anwar turned the heat up on the Umno-led Barisan Nasional, claiming it was not respecting the wishes of voters and was playing up racial and religious issues to further divide the country’s different ethnic groups.

“I wish to tell Umno and BN that patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel - to play the racial card, to pretend to be the self-proclaimed defenders of the Malay race and the Islam religion,” Anwar said in his keynote address on Saturday.

PKR President Wan Azizah Wan Ismail too did not mince her words.

“PKR will continue to be the eyes of the public and keep the rakyat informed especially with regards to power transition plan from Abdullah Badawi to Najib Abdul Razak.”

“We stress that transition of power will not bring about any positive changes to the Judiciary, the Police, the Anti-Corruption Agency nor the Parliament. Instead the transition will only bring back the past ways of the previous regime (of Mahathir Mohamad) wherein the Internal Security Act was abused and corruption was rampant,” Wan Azizah said in her opening speech.

Time to revamp and re-strengthen

But the tirade has not been one-way.

Since sweeping control of five of the country’s 13 states at the March 8 general elections and winning 82 of the 222 parliamentary seats, Anwar and his opposition alliance - the Pakatan Rakyat - have come under intense attack from the Barisan which has ruled the nation since 1957.

Leading the charge against the Pakatan is Abdullah’s successor, Najib. The deputy premier - himself hounded by allegations of a sex scandal and corrupt deals during his time in the defence ministry- has accused the Pakatan, which is made up of the PKR, DAP and PAS, of lying to the rakyat and failing to make good on its election promises.

“Yes, there have been setbacks. We skirted with destiny on Sept 16 and despite our best efforts our march to victory has been delayed,” Anwar rebutted.”We are all forced to further endure the slings and arrows of an incompetent government that has lost touch with the people. Although our promise has not yet been fulfilled, the Pakatan Rakyat leaders and I remain committed to the agenda for change and our tenacity has never been stronger,”

Meanwhile, social groups and pundits warned that Pakatan’s delay in formalising coalition ties and announcing a shadow cabinet to benchmark performance against the Barisan were other weaknesses that should be addressed quickly.

“We call upon Anwar to make formation of shadow cabinet his top priority from now to March 2009,” 18 civil society groups including Suaram, Women’s Action Society (AWAM), Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ), Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC) and Group of Concerned Citizens, said in a statement issued late last week.

“Nearly nine months after the March election, Pakatan - which has vowed to take over the federal executive power via crossover of BN parliamentarians - must now be prepared to show that they are not only interested to govern but able to do so,” the groups said.

Honeymoon over, raise publicity

Experts also urged Anwar and his Pakatan partners to start focussing on the micro-management and governance of the five states that they controlled or risk incurring voter disenchantment.

They said the honeymoon period was over and Pakatan administrators had to get cracking despite obstacles in the form of limited state funds and in some cases, outright attempts by Barisan die-hards within the civil service to block reform programs from taking off.

Voters of the day not only want a check-and-balance at Parliament but are also demanding greater efficiency and benefits such as better roads, cleaner markets, faster service and delivery from Pakatan-run town and state councils.

“They say they are better than the BN, so they have to be. But unless there are dramatic changes people will not notice on a daily basis,” said Navaratnam.

“To be fair, even if there are positive changes, the press which is controlled by the Barisan may not play it up. The lesson here is that Pakatan must turn to their blogs and their own newspapers to get the correct information out to the rakyat,” Navaratnam added.

“I don’t think it’s about excuses but perhaps expectations have been too high. We have to benchmark against the reality, the barrage of political obstacles and the current economic slowdown,” said Azrul.

Brain gain and minimum wage

Among the Pakatan-controlled states, Selangor and Penang drew the most praise for good governance and innovative approaches. Their ability to persuade top professional talent from the financial markets to join them as economic advisers was also applauded.

“The Pakatan states can show that even with limited resources they can deliver more by holding open tenders for state contracts, as Penang is now doing. Such a move will plug leakages and cut down corruption. The states should also continue to hire the best brains regardless of ethnic background. The best talent are no longer afraid to join the opposition. Some are even doing it because they want to contribute to the advancement of integrity,” Navaratnam said.

At the congress, Wan Azizah also announced that Selangor would soon introduce a minimum wage of RM1,000 a month for both private and public sector workers.

“When inflation hits, the most affected are the working class. Because of this, PKR reiterates its resolve to introduce a minimum wage of RM1,000 per month. The Selangor state government will be implementing this shortly,” she said.

The announcement found favour with analysts, although they also warned care must be taken to reduce the number of foreign workers in the country as economic activity shrank or locals might lose out in the scramble for jobs.

“A minimum wage will help reduce poverty and lift the per capita income. It is a move the federal government should emulate,” said Azrul.

Targeting Sarawak and Sabah

Pledges to better integrate and give equal importance to the development of East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak too resounded at the PKR congress. In particular, top PKR leaders zoomed in on Sarawak, which is expected to dissolve its state assembly in the second quarter of 2009.

The presence of Yong Teck Lee, president of the Sabah Progressive Party which holds two parliamentary seats, at the congress also fuelled speculation the former Barisan component might be considering a move to join the Pakatan coalition.

“PKR is reorganising its operations there and reinforcing ties with a new generation of Sabahans and Sarawakians who give us hope of future success there. Even now, our message of change is filtering down to the grassroots. We are committed in our promise to give 20 percent share of petroleum revenues from Sabah and Sarawak back to its people,” Wan Azizah said.

According to pundits, the recent fall in world oil prices will not hamper the 20 percent share payout. They said it was crucial for Pakatan to win over the two East Malaysian states if it wanted to realise its ambition of forming the next government.

“The federal government and Petronas can afford to do it (give 20 percent share of petroleum revenues). This is the states’ due and such a move will assuage a lot of the bad feeling the people there have for the current federal government,” said Navaratnam.

Sumber: Suara Keadilan