Snatching Johor from the BN step by step

It was said that DAP Parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang, who was born in Johor, would lead his men to attack the BN's deposit state of Johor in the next general election. The news has indeed shocked the people.

Earlier, PAS Vice President Salahuddin Ayub also confirmed that he will be contesting in Johor, which is also his home state. It shows that Pakatan Rakyat has reached a consensus in making Johor a frontline state.

There should be a target for the so-called frontline state.

Lim said before that the task of a frontline state is to pave the road towards Putrajaya for the Pakatan rakyat.

Therefore, we can see that Lim and Salahuddin are returning to their home state to make a breakthrough and promote the overall development.

In addition to Johor, other states including Sabah, Sarawak and Pahang have also been listed as frontline states by the DAP.

The battle in Johor this time might be the most worthy of watching compared to other states.

We all know that Johor has always been a BN's bastion and when Johor DAP chief Dr Boo Cheng Hau shouted a vision to rule Johor many years ago, the BN sniffed at it and even Boo's comrades in the party did not take it seriously.

Who would have expected that the situation would change after the 2008 general election? Johor has become the last bastion for the MCA, the Gerakan and the MIC overnight.

Today, no one would dare to ignore the words saying that the alternative coalition will one day take over Johor.

Of course, it is not a simple task for the Pakatan Rakyat. However, the alternative coalition has turn impossibility into possibility and it is indeed not a small change.

Such a change has been pushed by internal factors and external stimuli. The DAP has gained much in the Sarawak state election last year. The wind of anti-incumbent in the Singapore election last year and the remaining impacts of the 2008 political tsunami would more or less affect the political landscape of Johor.

However, would the wind of anti-incumbent strong enough to blow away the BN's deep-rooted tree in Johor? Is the Paktan Rakyat overconfident?

There are 26 parliamentary seats and 56 state seats in Johor and the alternative coalition occupies only one parliamentary seat and 6 state seats. Among the Pakatan Rakyat component parties, the DAP has the greatest strength, followed by PAS, with its influence limited in northern Johor and the PKR does not even have a bridgehead there. It is nearly a mission impossible for the alternative coalition to seize power in the next general election.

Looking back at history, since Lim Kit Siang launched the first Tanjung battle in 1986, the DAP has experienced ups and downs in Penang. It had almost won the state in 1990 but retained only one seat in 1995. It has finally made the dream of ruling Penang come true in 2008.

Therefore, an ideal is an ideal. A more practical goal for the alternative coalition would be to win more parliamentary seats as gaining a few more seats would mean that they are a few steps closer to Putrajaya. As for taking over the state, they should keep trying, just like how they fought for Penang. After all, they need to go on step by step towards the goal of taking over the ruling power!

-Sin Chew Daily