Went for the ‘penamaan calon’ at KT today (6th January) and was very happy to see that both the DAP and PKR were very well represented. Their flags were flying as high and as distinctly as ours; and nobody in their right mind would doubt the unity and commitment of these three parties to the concept of the PR. But then, when we are talking about the BN and their media, ‘right minds’ might not be the best of words to use.
Tuan Guru Hj. Hadi was of course there with YB Wahid Endut the candidate. So were Dato’ Harun Din, Mustapha Ali, Syed Azman and a host of other PAS leaders. For the PKR, I met Tan Sri Khalid, Tian Chua, Azmin Ali, Dr. Syed Hussein to name a few. Anwar was overseas and will be arriving tonight for a ceramah together with Tok Guru Nik Aziz and Kit Siang. For the DAP there was Kit Siang, Teresa, Ronnie, Loke and many others.
I have always ‘enjoyed’ bye-elections (according to Wikepedia, it can be spelt as by- or bye-) as they always bring out the best in PAS and its members. The commitment shown when thousands flock to KT, from hundreds of miles, just to be with the ‘entourage’ of the candidate, shaking his hand and the hands of the party leadership, is difficult to match. I was told our attendance was around 30,000 but the BN after the PPSMI debacle can’t count properly and therefore estimated it to be at around 10,000 only. They estimated their meager presence at 15,000!
Anyway, it was almost a carnival atmosphere! I met a family from Tanjung Karang, arriving by their Ford Ranger at 4.30 am only to be on the road back at 3 pm!
This bye-election of course has a lot going for it as I explained earlier. What I want to highlight in this short piece is how this bye-election is benefiting us in more ways than one. In the very heart of the PAS hinterland where some PAS die-hard supporters scoff at the concept of the PR and claim that PAS is sacrificing its principles by working with PKR and DAP, the strategic significance of the coalition is being proven, through practice not just words. There are about 9,000 Chinese voters in this Parliamentary constituency and although this is only 11% of the total voters, they are THE deciding factor. Having the DAP and PKR campaigning for the PAS candidate helps in a very big way in ensuring that the Chinese voters will give us a significant number of their votes. This will hopefully soften some of the somewhat inflexible attitudes around.
This bye-election also helps in reminding all the PR leaders of our continued inter-dependency and how we are where we are today. There is always the tendency to forget your ‘minority partners’ when you are in the driving seat and this bye-election helps to remind everyone that we are in the same boat and if one sinks, then we all sink.
Lastly, I wish to mention the candidate, YB Abdul Wahid Endut. He has been the YB of a Terengganu DUN for the past 4 sessions and this is his fifth. If he has any serious failings, he would not have been re-voted. I knew him since the 80s when we were both in Pemuda Pusat. I have no complaints about his candidacy. My surprise at him being the candidate is no more than just that. Like many others, I was surprised as his name was never mentioned in the early stages. However, this must have been a surprise for UMNO/BN too and having caught them flat-footed in this respect can work to our advantage. I appeal to all who read my blog to give him your fullest support such that we can register another victory for the PR!
[Photos Update 8/1/09]
Tuan Guru Hj. Hadi was of course there with YB Wahid Endut the candidate. So were Dato’ Harun Din, Mustapha Ali, Syed Azman and a host of other PAS leaders. For the PKR, I met Tan Sri Khalid, Tian Chua, Azmin Ali, Dr. Syed Hussein to name a few. Anwar was overseas and will be arriving tonight for a ceramah together with Tok Guru Nik Aziz and Kit Siang. For the DAP there was Kit Siang, Teresa, Ronnie, Loke and many others.
I have always ‘enjoyed’ bye-elections (according to Wikepedia, it can be spelt as by- or bye-) as they always bring out the best in PAS and its members. The commitment shown when thousands flock to KT, from hundreds of miles, just to be with the ‘entourage’ of the candidate, shaking his hand and the hands of the party leadership, is difficult to match. I was told our attendance was around 30,000 but the BN after the PPSMI debacle can’t count properly and therefore estimated it to be at around 10,000 only. They estimated their meager presence at 15,000!
Anyway, it was almost a carnival atmosphere! I met a family from Tanjung Karang, arriving by their Ford Ranger at 4.30 am only to be on the road back at 3 pm!
This bye-election of course has a lot going for it as I explained earlier. What I want to highlight in this short piece is how this bye-election is benefiting us in more ways than one. In the very heart of the PAS hinterland where some PAS die-hard supporters scoff at the concept of the PR and claim that PAS is sacrificing its principles by working with PKR and DAP, the strategic significance of the coalition is being proven, through practice not just words. There are about 9,000 Chinese voters in this Parliamentary constituency and although this is only 11% of the total voters, they are THE deciding factor. Having the DAP and PKR campaigning for the PAS candidate helps in a very big way in ensuring that the Chinese voters will give us a significant number of their votes. This will hopefully soften some of the somewhat inflexible attitudes around.
This bye-election also helps in reminding all the PR leaders of our continued inter-dependency and how we are where we are today. There is always the tendency to forget your ‘minority partners’ when you are in the driving seat and this bye-election helps to remind everyone that we are in the same boat and if one sinks, then we all sink.
Lastly, I wish to mention the candidate, YB Abdul Wahid Endut. He has been the YB of a Terengganu DUN for the past 4 sessions and this is his fifth. If he has any serious failings, he would not have been re-voted. I knew him since the 80s when we were both in Pemuda Pusat. I have no complaints about his candidacy. My surprise at him being the candidate is no more than just that. Like many others, I was surprised as his name was never mentioned in the early stages. However, this must have been a surprise for UMNO/BN too and having caught them flat-footed in this respect can work to our advantage. I appeal to all who read my blog to give him your fullest support such that we can register another victory for the PR!
[Photos Update 8/1/09]
Comments
sekian.