PR ‘rallying’ for lost support

The July 9 rally is an attempt by PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to shore up its public support ahead of the next general election and in the wake of recent by-election losses and negative publicity.

“Speaking from my experience, I am very positive that the Bersih 2.0 rally was planned by Anwar. Un­­doubtedly, he is behind it,” said former PKR deputy president Dr Chandra Muzaffar, who is president of JUST. "I do not think that the rally is about electoral reform at all. It is just used as a means to shore up Anwar’s position in the country by the quickest route, by instilling anger in Malaysian citizens and hoping that the demonstration will lead to a change of power, like what happened in Egypt.”

By BARADAN KUPPUSAMY, The Star

The July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally is really a Pakatan Rakyat effort to win back the political momentum it once enjoyed after the March 2008 tsunami but has since lost to Barisan Nasional in a series of by-elections – except Sibu.

Even the Sibu by-election was won by the DAP with a slim 300-vote majority.

Although the party went on to win 15 urban seats in the Sarawak state election, the state Barisan Nasional managed to win a two-thirds majority, clinching most of the rural seats and losing only the urban seats to the DAP.

To recapture the political momentum is the unstated goal of the Bersih 2.0 rally going into the 13th general election, which is near, going by the latest hint dropped by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at a closed door meeting of the Sabah Barisan Nasional on Wednesday.

PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the man behind it, senses that a major public rally, which would galvanise the public mood, shake the Barisan Nasional and prepare Pakatan Rakyat for seizing Putrajaya, is the best chance of getting the political momentum back.

In tandem with that goal, Bersih 2.0 has lost its public face as an independent NGO and increasingly showing its Pakatan Rakyat face, even as police step up their action to stop the rally, which they have termed illegal and a nuisance.

The political momentum enjoyed by Pakatan Rakyat moved back to Barisan Nasional with victories in the Kerdau, Batu Sapi, Tenang and Merlimau by-elections, which were won by Barisan with large majorities, indicating that Malay and Indian voters have returned to the coalition.

Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad won the Kerdau seat in Pahang with a majority of 2,724 votes while Roslan Ahmad won the Merlimau seat with a majority of 3,643.

In the Tenang by-election on Jan 30, Barisan Nasional also won by a 3,700 vote majority whereas in Batu Sapi, the majority was massive with over 6,000 votes.

Pakatan Rakyat initially had a dream run that left it victorious in eight of the first 11 by-elections held, results which were seen as a sign that it had cemented its support among voters.

However, Barisan Nasional then won two by-elections last Novem­ber, one in January this year and two more later, in a major boost for its morale ahead of an early general election.

It is this momentum that Pakatan Rakyat lost – first by the failed Sept 16 gambit and later, by Anwar’s sexual troubles – that it is trying to regain with its Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9.

It hopes to go into the 13th general election with a major success behind it and erase all the bad perception from the by-election defeats and Anwar’s troubles over the Sodomy 2 trial, in which, incidentally, he has been called to enter his defence.

The trial opens a week after the July 9 rally.

The latest video sex scandal with a mainland Chinese sex worker is another embarrassment haunting him.

The Bersih 2.0 rally, therefore, has an ulterior motive and is planned by individuals who want to shore up their political position ahead of the general election.

“Speaking from my experience, I am very positive that the Bersih 2.0 rally was planned by Anwar. Un­­doubtedly, he is behind it,” said former PKR deputy president Dr Chandra Muzaffar, who is president of JUST.

“I do not think that the rally is about electoral reform at all.

“It is just used as a means to shore up Anwar’s position in the country by the quickest route, by instilling anger in Malaysian citizens and hoping that the demonstration will lead to a change of power, like what happened in Egypt,” Dr Chandra said.

Bersih, too, has increasingly dropped its mask and is showing its true self as an NGO extension of the Pakatan Rakyat with nearly all of its supporters also doubling up as supporters of Pakatan Rakyat.

It has strong support from the Selangor and Penang state governments with even Selangor promising RM15,000 for Bersih 2.0 expenses.

It has PAS leaders supporting it, with some promising to bring 100,000 members for the rally.

All the three Pakatan Rakyat political parties are mobilising for the big event, indicating that Bersih 2.0 is an Opposition event, like it or not.

PAS is the core of Bersih 2.0 and it is expected to mobilise its members for the event and is confident of leading the Malays, now that PKR leader Anwar is facing mounting woes of his own.

The Opposition leaders behind Bersih are hoping that a massive turnout would shake the Govern­ment and weaken it.

A weak government, it is theorised, would not be able to fight hard at the polls.

Barisan is anxious to avoid any test of wills on the streets on July 9.

Instead, it wants Pakatan Rakyat to face it at the polls in a free and fair fight to decide the matter once and for all.