PAS can win Terengganu but not with religious slogans alone

The majority of  rural and urban voters in Terengganu feel that Terengganu under Barisan Nasional (BN) is not doing enough for the people.  They are lamenting that inflation has hit them most and the government is not doing enough to curb inflation.

Surprisingly, many have the view that issues relating to Hudud, Israel, Valentine’s Day, Apostasy and Islamic state played by UMNO to confuse the people have become a political cliché to the people here and are of little consequence to them.

The majority Malay population here are adamant that Malay political power is weakened by selfish and corrupt leaders and not because of the threat of non-Malays as propped up by UMNO.

The people here generally feel that it’s economic development that must be strengthened in the state to provide more jobs for the locals. The presence of many foreigners in the state is not making the people here happy and they sense that the government is not doing enough to get rid of them.

The prophecy by some political observers is that by adopting proper strategies, not less than seven states will come under Pakatan after the next general election (GE). And this includes Terengganu.

PAS must reinvent itself

However, for PAS to take over Terengganu it needs a team of God-fearing professionals and economic-oriented leaders to prove that they can do better than BN in managing the state. PAS needs more professionally qualified people in their team, not just religious icons who know more about religion but less on the economic reality of today. PAS must reinvent itself and learn from its past shortcomings when they governed the state from 1999 to 2004. This is the right time again for PAS to strike as the present Terengganu state government is at its weakest point since 2008 and under their present leadership it has become more unpopular among the locals here.

To the majority poor the costs of living in Terengganu is just unbearable as compared to neighbouring Kelantan. Prices of houses and shop lots have shot up and are only affordable to the rich. Land has become too scarce for the non-Malays to venture into business. There are again a lot of bureaucratic obstacles that hampers businesses. Job opportunities in Terengganu are getting scarce when the population is increasing.

The people see wastage on expenditure and they are, in general, aware of financial abuse, mismanagement and corruption happening at the federal level. Surprisingly, most people here are aware of the misappropriation of government funds involving the latest RM230million Feedlot debacle, PKFZ RM12billion scandal, the submarine commission amounting to more than RM500million,Sime Darby fiasco involving RM964million, PosMalaysia RM230million loss, Perwaja Steal loss, losses and so forth. To rub salt into the wound, UMNO leaders in the state are squabbling among themselves and are more interested in building image than strengthening the party or developing the state.

“Too many scandals are plaguing the country and UMNO does not seem do much to stop them. Millions of ringgit are wasted or abused by those with the right cables and given contracts under negotiated tenders when  these projects failed. When the poor are suffering, the rich are getting richer through devious means. Enough of this government,” said a government officer who voted for UMNO in the last GE.

Most self-employed rural and urban Malays are equally unhappy with the government. “ Prices of almost everything have gone up. Those employed by the government get fixed salaries and we have to struggle to make ends meet. They keep on getting higher pay. What can RM500 given to us do?  Nothing much,” said a self-employed man residing in Bukit Payong.

Equally sceptical

When asked about a change of government, many of the locals were quite receptive. They feel that BN has not brought much change to the rural people. Their income is static when prices of things have spiralled many times more.  The masses seem to feel that UMNO has done little to generate the state’s economy for the past eight years.

When asked if PAS could be the alternative to BN, many were equally sceptical. A 60-year-old pensioner quipped,  “Repeating religious rhetoric alone to the masses is not going to help much. The people have had enough of repeated religious talks on many petty things that they are beginning to feel bored. The people want to see how PAS can translate their religious talks into economic well being of the people. If PAS were to still adopt the traditional approach to politics they could not get the support.  I’m afraid they cannot deliver.  The people here may not vote for PAS.”

A senior teacher who supported PAS lamented, “ PAS was given a chance to rule the state after the 1999 GE. PAS can convince the rural people and some urban dwellers with religious talks. But at the end of the day what matters most to the people  is ‘food on the table’. The people, poor, rich, religious or not want a better standard of living. They want prices of things to go down, earn a better income, efficient public transport, cheap and easy access to health care, and also more job opportunities. UMNO has failed the state and we are also sceptical if PAS could deliver if elected to rule.” He added, “ PAS must have leaders who know more about managing and generating the economy rather than mere talks on religious matters. The economic and spiritual needs must go in tandem with one another to win support from the people.”

A business man in his 40’s was equally sceptical about PAS performing better than UMNO if elected to govern the state again. “PAS was given a strong mandate to rule the state after the 1999 GE and they did not accomplish their goals. PAS leaders went into the election with a populist approach. For instance, they promised the people that the nominal toll payment for using the bridge connecting Kuala Terengganu town, Pulau Duyong and Seberang Takir would be abolished. The annual assessment rate for residential houses in the state would be abolished too. When they won the election, they had little money to run the state. The people felt the crunch.”

A retired senior government  servant living in Manir felt the same. “ Populist approach to politics may not work. When the Federal government stopped the flow of oil royalty money to the state government then, PAS fumbled badly. They could not find an alternative or feasible economic resources to run the state effectively.”

BN has been in power for too long

If truth be told, Terengganu fell to PAS in 1999 due to three reasons. The BN Menteri Besar before 1999 was in power for too long (1974-1999). The people felt that development during his time was more focussed on Kemaman and the few nearby towns like Kerteh and Kemasik. Districts like Dungun, Marang, Hulu Terengganu, Setiu and Besut were left out. Other then Kemaman, Kerteh and Kuala Terengganu (the Capital) the development of all other districts were stagnant for more than 20 years.

There was a big turnout of voters in Terengganu during that election – one of the highest in the country. Anwar Ibrahim ‘factor’ played a crucial role then. Anwar was ousted from UMNO and as Deputy Prime Minister by Mahathir Muhammad just before the election and he was also left snivelling with a ‘black-eye’. This incurred the wrath of the people and they voted for PAS out of anger.

Mahathir was at that time not a popular prime minister. Despite his unpopularity, BN triumphed in the GE with a two-thirds majority but losing Terengganu to PAS. He was graciously saved by Chinese and Indian voters to whom he must be grateful. The Malay voters shunned him and over 50 percent of Malay votes in the country during that election went to the Opposition.

The 13^th GE will see almost a similar situation. Support for Anwar and the Opposition parties (PAS, PKR and DAP)  has vastly increased. Anwar and other Opposition leaders, with his charm, could draw huge crowds and the people in the state are hoping that this will be translated into votes for PAS in Terengganu.  The Opposition Pact now is much stronger than what it was in 1999, 2004 and 2008. The people now generally feel than BN has been in power for too long and this has bred endemic corruption, financial leakages and lack of  integrity and accountability in governance. They now perceive UMNO as too corrupted and infested with self-serving politicians. Besides, unbridled inflation has hurt the poor and the middle-class most. Sugar that used to cost RM1.45 sen a kilo now costs more than RM2.00. Prices of almost every essential commodity has gone up and money has become of less value. The people feel that BN does not have the economic acumen to manage the country well and thus the increase in prices of goods. At the same time, they see luxuries almost every where among UMNO leaders and their spouses but desolation among the ordinary people.

What Mahathir said

Beyond that, UMNO is so divided in Terengganu. Apparently, there are at least two main factions and a few splintered groups here scrambling for power. One faction is aligned to the former state Menteri Besar (2004-2008), Idris Jusoh who hails from Besut district and the other main group is aligned to the incumbent Menteri Besar Ahmad Said from Kemaman.  The present MB is unfortunately perceived as a very weak and incompetent leader by both PAS and UMNO supporters. He lacks the much-need charisma as a leader and is rather too emotional in his approach to politics. Having all his people ‘planted’ in many strategic positions in the state government after his take over as MB in 2008, he has intolerably angered the other ambitious faction. The disgruntled group has been deprived a scoop of the gravy train which is now solidly controlled by the present MB’s team.

Mahathir Muhammad tersely wrote (22 July 2008) in his blog on the wastage in Terengganu:

“The Government had also wasted money – RM2 billion in Terengganu. Thinking that he had the right to use “Wang Ehsan”, the royalty from Petronas to the State of Terengganu totalling more than five billion Ringgit over several years Dato Seri Abdullah together with Dato Seri Idris Jusoh, the former Menteri Besar of Terengganu went on a spending spree. Without any proper study and planning, without bothering about the rules and regulations about how Government money should be allocated and used, Dato Seri Abdullah and Dato Seri Idris and their cronies spent huge sums of the “Wang Ehsan” on a theme park (Crystal Mosque), Monsoon Cup, development of Setiu etc.,  More than two billion Ringgit were poured into Terengganu. Then in 2008, Barisan Nasional won and Abdullah happily decided to spend more of the “Wang Ehsan” on fancy projects. Unfortunately the Sultan of Terengganu refused to have Idris Jusoh as Menteri Besar. It was a slap in the face of Abdullah when he was forced to accept the Sultan’s nominee as Menteri Besar. This new Menteri Besar insisted that the royalty due to Terengganu should be paid to the State and the State should manage the fund. This was as it should be. But the Menteri Besar insisted that what was spent before this in building the theme park, organising the Monsoon Cup etc worth about RM 2 billion was not from the royalty due to Terengganu. It was from Federal fund. He demanded that the full amount of royalty over the years should be paid to Terengganu. So RM2 billion of Federal funds have been expended on Terengganu, the richest State in Malaysia. Failing this Terengganu has a court case initiated by the PAS Government which the BN State Government has not withdrawn. The Federal Government will now have to find some RM5 billion to give to Terengganu. Where is this money going to come from? Obviously from the Federal Consolidated Fund. Basically the Federal Government will lose RM5 billion because it had assumed that a tame Terengganu Menteri Besar would collaborate in some of the most wasteful projects for the State and the country. I am told that a Disneyland designer was engaged to design the “Crystal Mosque” and theme park. Must cost a lot. Some contractors made tons of money getting projects without proper processes.”

Terengganu has been among the poorest states in the country despite receiving billions of ringgit from the Federal government in the form of oil royalty money  and funds. The people here are rather puzzled and still baffled as  to where has all the money gone to.

The stadium that collapsed

A stadium was constructed with an initial cost RM180 million but escalated to almost RM300 million. Upon ‘completion’ the stadium collapsed because of shoddy construction work. This was followed by another fiasco – the collapse of the roof of the Kuala Berang express bus and taxi terminal which was built using RM4.2 of taxpayers’ money. Then the state government spent an initial RM30 million for the purchase of lap top computers from Malaysia Intel Electronics that would become electronic text books for school pupils – a project that should have rightly been undertaken by the Federal government if there is a need for it. According to reports the cost has escalated to almost RM80 million and given-free lap top computers keep on getting damaged and replaced. And lately, Terengganu government has bought over Kelantan-based Manis FM and plans to expand the popular east coast radio coverage nationwide. The Terengganu state government’s decision to buy private radio station Manis.FM at RM7 million has prompted the people to question why such a big sum was spent when many people in Terengganu still live in poverty.

“Do we need to waste RM7 million for another radio station? The money is better used to help the needy people in the state who are suffering from rising costs of living,” said an UMNO leader in Terengganu aligned to the former MB.

A lot more filth can be dug here to show the poor governance of the state by UMNO for the past 8 to 9  years.  And now even with a new UMNO line up for the next GE planned by the prime minister, the people will still remain unhappy with the party.  The next GE will see UMNO members sabotaging the party. Too many ambitious UMNO aspirants are eyeing for too few seats available to contest. This will work to the advantage of PAS and the Opposition, perceived to be more stable and organised in the state.

As for PAS to take over Terengganu in the next GE, it has to reinvent itself. The educated, urban and rural majority here would want to see an economically progressive state. They aspire to see a bigger picture – a progressive Islamic approach to strengthen the economy of the state. They now see Penang and Selangor as success stories under Pakatan rule. These two exemplary states have shown how economic progress can be achieved with good governance, integrity and social justice without flaunting religious slogans. These two states have put to practice the core values of religion indirectly – good governance, social justice,  economic wellbeing and integrity.

Not the monopoly of any single religion

A Malay contractor doing government projects living in Pulau Musang had this to say: “We  feel that a leader that fears God will ensure that religious values are put to practice – irrespective of what religion the leader adheres to.  These are leaders that  go for the substance rather than the form. They ask for no bribes and they live a corrupt-free life. They do not abuse power or taxpayer’s money. To these leaders the people’s welfare is of utmost importance. He added, “To lead an honest life is not the monopoly of any single religion. It is universal in principle. We admire what Lim Guan Eng has done in Penang. We also envy Khalid Ibrahim of Selangor who has brought a lot of changes to the state.”

True to fact, the people here are aware that the Penang Chief Minister (CM) and Selangor Menteri Besar (MB) do not go round flaunting religious slogans. They are doers and practical leaders who are well-liked by Malaysians of all races. They have the business and economic acumen in them plus a conscience for honesty in leadership. They both are no doubt secular educated but they incorporate all the good and universal values of religion as well as the universal principles of integrity and honesty that have helped  bring success to the states. They have for the past four years brought considerable accomplishment to Penang and Selangor surpassing what BN had done to the states for the past 54 years.

The 5 percent royalty paid to the state government before PAS came to power in 1999 was immediately stopped by the then unpopular prime minister, Mahathir. The term Royalty was deliberately changed and renamed as “Wang Ehsan” by the Federal government – a shrewd political move engineered by wily Mahathir. PAS government immediately went lame with the absence of this money. Void of economic expertise or corporate figures the like of Selangor MB or Penang CM, PAS could not generate enough money from other sources to run the state. Depending on “Wang Zakat” and taxes collected to run the state was not enough. The people began to grumble and PAS lost the state to BN in the 2004 GE. Immediately after that,  the state got back the royalty money from the Federal government even though when it was still termed as “Wang Ehsan “– a strategy calculated to control the money in case the state falls back to PAS. If PAS were to win back the state in the next GE, it must be prepared to face the same fate like before –  in the likelihood that Putrajaya does not fall to Pakatan.

Populist approach

PAS did promise a few populist approach before winning the 1999 GE and they had to honour those promises depriving them of much needed revenue. The state government was then expecting for the 5 percent royalty to run the state, as stipulated in the Agreement between the State Government, Petronas and the Federal Government. Never did they realise that the Agreement was not done not under Divine Laws. Man-made laws or agreement under any dictatorial regime can always be abrogated and it really happened this context.

When the money stopped flowing to the state after 2008, everything went haywire for the PAS government. PAS leaders at the time had little ideas on how to generate the economy without the oil revenue. Thus, mere promises and religious rhetoric to please the people did not help much. PAS leaders were never short of religious sermons during their rule of Terengganu to counter the problems faced by the people then but it did not work.

With the lack of financial resources the town councils in all districts could not function smoothly. There were no investors coming to the state partly because the Federal government was under BN control. With a lack of funding, even government departments had to slash their activities to help the people. The mood among state government employees went awry. There was almost no physical development  in the state. Development went stagnant. Jobs were scarce. Many had to leave the state to look for better opportunities in other states.  And the people decided to go for a change of  government in 2004.

Terengganu has a population of about 1,049,005 with 51percent of the population living in urban areas and 49 percent in the rural areas. The majority of them are poor farmers and fishermen. They have been lulled for too long with religious slogans and sermons by PAS and by promises of development by UMNO. Apparently, the people are caught in a web of confusion by PAS and UMNO. Terengganu has now registered 585,366 new voters up to March last year and  with more voters who are aware of the scenario in the state they will wisely decide which party will govern the state after the next GE.

PAS has to decide now

PAS must have learnt a bitter lesson from the past. UMNO is relatively weak in Terengganu because of internal bickering, incompetence and void of economic acumen. The chance for PAS to take over the state in the next GE is somewhat bright. But PAS leaders must be more introspective and should reinvent itself to become a party that could energise economic growth for the state. Spiritual values can always go in tandem with economic growth but not at the expense of the economy – bread and butter issue is still important to the impoverished people of Terengganu.

PAS must also be prepared for a possibility that despite winning in Terengganu in the next GE, Putrajaya could still remain under BN – which, according to many political observers  is very unlikely though. Hence, the new PAS or Opposition line-up in Terengganu must be made up of competent professionals who have the ability to steer the state into an economic paradise like Penang or Selangor.  PAS should identity who among their leaders should  lead Terengganu this time when they come to power. In the case of Penang it is the incalculably competent  Lim Guan Eng and Selangor the immensely talented Khalid Ibrahim. PAS has to decide now itself as who is that ‘competent’ man that should lead Terengganu in the event they win the state in the next GE.

Malaysia Chronice