On 7 August 2009, I wrote an article titled 'PR Will Not Form The Next Government'. As expected, many readers were not happy with the contents. That's how the supporters of PR are. You write good about PR and you will be cheered like a hero. You write bad about PR, be prepared for their wrath.
I may have been sumbat-ed from all corners but I don't blame those who left their comments at this blog or at Malaysia Today (where my articles are sometimes deemed worthy to be posted up there). After all, PR is their last bastion of hope for a change and nobody likes to have their hopes put up in smoke.
What is depressing is when I read the comments, it is clear that these readers do not understand the true struggle of PR. Many went on and on about the evils of UMNO, PDRM, MACC, Najib, Khir Toyo... Some said that the PR leaders may be weak and incapable but still can't be worse off than BN's. Like I don't already fucking know that. Others claim that PR will win because BN is racist and corrupted. How simple minded! I am sure that many of those who commented actually belief in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. I sincerely hope the number of readers who do not understand the PR struggle is restricted to those who commented negatively. Or else PR is in deep shit.
I am not a PR supporter. But I am proud to say that I voted for PKR and PAS in the previous GE. I am a supporter of a 2 party system. Come the next GE, my vote will still be with PR. Beyond that, I do not know. But that's another story for another day.
My vote has already been won by PR. And I can say of the same to most of you reading this. But the war for votes is NOT for your vote. Neither is it for my vote. The PR struggle is for the votes other than ours. Get it? With just your votes and mine, PR is not going to form the next government.
Look at the previous GE. We all voted for PR. We had slightly above 50% of the popular votes. And yet PR could not form the Federal Government. BN has created a system where it will take massive effort for them to tumble. RPK said that we need 70% of all votes. And I think that is fair. How many percent do you and I make up, again? 51%. And we are gonna win the next GE because you and I know that BN is evil? Damn kau smart lor you fellas out there...
For PR to form government come the next GE, we have to convert another 20% of BN supporters to vote PR. And not even a 2/3 majority win at that. How are we going to that? Do you know how difficult is it to get such a huge cross over? And you think PR will win simply because you, your family and friends are going to vote PR, my dear geniuses? No. No. No. PR needs to:
1. Maintain and keep PR voters from GE 12
2. Pull some BN voters over
3. Pull previously non-voters to vote for PR
And this is where my previous articles on PR bashing come in. PR is not helping themselves. Based on what is going on, how do you honestly think PR is doing to hold on to its present supporters and recruit new ones? Remember, not everyone is like you and me in believing so strongly for a change. I can tell you this.
1. GE 12 PR supporters: PR may have won some new ones but have also lost quite a bit. UMNO has been putting a lot of effort on branding and image. And money. Many are easily fooled by these.
2. GE 12 BN supporters: You think we can get a huge cross over from this section?
3. Previous non-voters: Is PR giving them a reason to come out to vote? Or to even register to vote? Bear in mind that this is a class of rakyat who is not bothered. They are not like you and me who are gila politik. These people are not even fence sitters. They are the 'could not be bothered people'. You think all the rubbish drama that PR has put up will in any way make them want to come vote PR? To have this group to come out to give PR an extra 20% of all votes is going to take so so so much effort. And you fellas are telling me that PR will win the next GE. Good la you fellas. Just damn good. The 4D number for this Saturday's Magnum's Draw is 6433. I promise you this random number of mine will win 1st prize.
I hope you now can appreciate that PR cannot win with our votes alone. With PR's circus, I am finding it difficult to pull votes for PR. This is frustrating. And that's why I have been ranting on PR's negatives. PR needs to wake up. We all have our parts to play. But PR is not helping us help them. And then we get the shallow and simple minded ones like you who think that the GE 13 has been won. Can you belief that some readers even referred the bickering within PR as democracy. Stop lying to yourselves. It's a blardie circus in PR now for crying out loud.
Remember, the war for votes is not for your vote or mine. This is gonna hurt - it is not about you! To PR, you and me are already in the bag. It is the others that matter. It is the others that is difficult. It is the others where we have to struggle to convince.
I hope this helps you see the PR struggle from a different perspective. We need to send PR a wake up call. Else, all our hopes on PR will remain a hope; UMNO will remain the lord of the land. And you and me will continued to get fucked.
wah simon, so good ah you, you sure know the true nature of PR struggle. you really think that PR is losing dont you? you really think that PR is going to fall apart? you really think that BN has won back the rakyat's support?
you are thinking the glass is half empty already. i think that all the bickering is normal in any political party. it is because we put too much hope on PR we tend to be biased in our judge@conclusion.
the politician in PR came from various background, they dont go to the same school as you do simon. they dont mix with the same people as you do, they have different upbringing. their understanding is slightly different than anybody else. and that is normal.
the important thing is they oppose BN. all 3 PR members oppose BN. that is our current choice. PR/BN? for now it's PR. after GE13 things can change. but for now PR is our best vote.
you are focusing too much on things that you don't agree with PR. things like syariah law, alcohol ban, dress code, etc. those are petty issue, you criticise and you move on. the core issues are corruption, abuse of power, poor governance, economy etc. focus on thing that will make PR stronger, not weaker.
dont give a shit to like Hassan Ali, make him a lone wolf. there are other people who oppose him in PAS. even the top leadership does not back him in alcohol issue. same with Zul Nordin. how big is he in PR? how big is he in PKR? sometimes you have to sit back and think a bit whether this guy represent PKR or represent himself?
see simon, look at the big picture. help others look at the big picture. PR leaders are not sitting idle doing nothing about anything. Zaid has already working out some basic common platform to unify PR struggle. the youth wings of all PR parties have formed a committee to work together.
they are getting there. just hold on tight.
but then again, this is PR not BN. all three parties have their own ideologies. they wont drop their ideologies even when they are working together. we dont need them to agree on everything. as long as they can fix some damage to the country.
its something like ali baba contractor. the malay contractors i bet are hardcore NEP supporter, while the chinese contractor must hate the ali baba contractor to the guts. but what to do. they need each other. so they work on their similarities rather than their differences. work on their love for profit rather than focusing on ther hatred.
we are working for the betterment of our country. we cant have all that we want, and they cant have all that they want. but some things we do have in common. for now lets work on that. stop focusing on thing that makes us want to hit on each other.
Simon, very good write-up with sincere opinion. BN has all the media,money,PDRM etc.. to their advantage.To win over their machinery is already an uphill task.Many of the PR supporters are good at ranting but how many of them are involve in the party's ground work other than election time.??
PKR-member.
Simon, I agree with you on this. The main problem for PR is to attract BN supporters and future voters to vote for PR come GE13. Like you said, PR will not have to worry about yours, mine or even yatikhwan's votes.
But, petty issues debated by PR MPs/Aduns are not helping PR. I am personally annoyed by recent issues in PR state govenments, be it beer, pigs, unity, etc.
As you pointed out, yatikhwan, we need to look at the bigger picture. Yes, we want clear separation of power, less corruption, good governance among other things. But it is not Simon who need to look at the bigger picture, he is just analysing the current situation and predicting what is going to happen.
The PR leaders (and PR MPs, Excos, ADUN, members,) are the ones who need to reassess their views on these issues. Is not about their different upbringings and freedom of expressing their individual thoughts, but it is more about about how we can change for the better through GE13. So what it means for PR now is to avoid negative impressions on PR coalition by prospective PR supporters from BN, fence sitters, and new voters with these petty issues. As for these people, whatever comments come from anybody within the PR, they are the reflections of what PR is all about. Like they always say, politics is all about perception.
PR top leaders really need to control and manage their people more effectively, and individuals within PR need to exercise some measures of abstinence to their tounges.
If they don't change now, I don't think you and I will get to see the bigger change in the near future.
I agree with Simon. Although I too am not comfortable with the recent alcohol ban and the internal squabbling within the PR coalition, the fact of the matter is that for now they are the best bet to force real democratic reforms in Malaysia.
We should focus on the forest and not the trees here, real significant change will never come easily after years of entrenched rule.
PR needs to be more politically savvy, the are highly likely to get a majority of the urban educated voters vote, not because this group support PR per se, but this group wants to see some change in the country and the evolution of a proper 2 party system. However, can they get enough of the rural votes to see them take over power at the parliamentary level? Sabah and Sarawak holds the key here I feel more than any states in West Malaysia.
I agree with Simon. I'm a Malay but to PAS, pls don't get carried away. You won because of non muslim vote. Face the reality. Remember this; you are no more an opposition in Selangor. Get hold of yourself. Show some respect to Selangor MB. Don't make silly statement which could cut back your throat and that goes to all leaders of PR.
Wow!... a sudden change of heart from the commentators Simon! I think your last paragraph was the one that decided on how the commentators are going to respond. Unlike your previous psot which you got frakked from left right and center by the PR supporters, all because you frakked PR. Simple minded ain't it?
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