PAKATAN RAKYAT Vs BN IN 13TH GE

By: DR EDWIN BOSI

PBS-BN has successfully defended and retained the P185 Batu Sapi constituency through Datin Linda Tsen, the widow of the late MP Edmund Chong whose untimely death resulted in the first by-election in Sabah. In this by-election, the BN win is very much expected because of the massive availability of finance in the BN camp and its ability to use the instruments of power or the government machineries at its disposal. This is one by-election that UMNO and BN cannot afford to lose.

The Batu Sapi by-election however, was in fact a ‘do-or-die’ battle between PKR and SAPP. It is all about which opposition party could garner more votes and thus, has the ‘rights or legitimacy’ to compete and contest against BN in the 13th general election.

The concept of a 2-party system in Malaysia has taken root after the 12th general election of March 8th, 2008. The by-election result showed that PKR is more acceptable than SAPP.

PKR which is one of the coalition partners of Pakatan Rakyat has successfully out-shown SAPP, the Sabah-based party to become the credible party in the 2-horse race against BN in the 13th general election.

With a strong support from DAP, PKR candidate Hj Ansari Abdullah was able to outclassed both BN and SAPP in several Chinese-dominated polling streams in the Karamunting constituency.

Unfortunately, PKR did not manage to attract the 60% Muslim voters in Batu Sapi despite the fact that Pakatan Rakyat has put a Muslim candidate in this by-election. Obviously, PKR and PAS the other partner of Pakatan Rakyat have to work very hard to engage with the Muslim voters especially in preparation for the 13th general election.

As far as Sabah DAP is concerned, this by-election has taught us the virtue of cooperation and level-minded between and among the PAS, PKR and DAP parties and leaders respectively.

Sabah DAP hopes that in the 13th general election the contest will be between the two horses, Pakatan Rakyat and BN. We know that the genuine people of Sabah have had enough of UMNO and BN in Sabah.

The ‘new Bumiputra’ are and will always be the fixed deposit of UMNO and BN in Sabah and are keeping the party in power. In order to win the 13th general election Pakatan Rakyat must be a united force so that the people will have more confident in the coalition.

With a united Pakatan Rakyat and the coming or merging together of all genuine Sabahans with Pakatan Rakyat, the change of a better government that we are longing for will be attained.