2009 debacle hanging over Zambry

The ground does not favour Perak Umno-Barisan Nasional, says a veteran Perak BN politician.

PETALING JAYA: Despite the daily doses of upbeat reports in the mainstream media of Perak and its by-default Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir, the state Barisan Nasional (BN) is still grappling with its past.

The political debacle of 2009 is still hanging over Zambry and BN.

A local veteran BN political leader here confessed that Perakians have not forgotten the political carnage that happened in 2009, after opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat took over five states – Perak, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Selangor – in the 12th general election a year earlier.

In a reverse takeover, BN wrested Perak from Pakatan.

The 2009 Perak constitutional crisis left questions regarding the legitimacy of the Perak BN government formed in February 2009.

It began when three Pakatan Rakyat state legislators defected to BN, giving the latter a whisker-thin majority.

Democratically elected Pakatan MB Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin then immediately requested to dissolve the state assembly and call for new elections but the Perak Sultan called instead on BN to form a new state government.

The political drama rolled out and after a series court cases, the Federal Court confirmed in 2010 that Zambry was Perak’s lawful MB.

Speaking to FMT on a condition of anonymity, the veteran BN insider said political promises and freebies by the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak were not enough to win-over voters and the lost support.

“We visited various places and met many people before we came to this final conclusion. It is an uphill battle for BN in Perak,” he said.

Perak Umno struggling

He said many problems had surfaced in the state which may see Zambry ejected from his MB seat in the next general-election.

“I believe Zambry has no respect even at party level because he is not a statesman,” said the veteran.

To strengthen his argument, the source claimed that the Perak government was controlled by Najib, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who is also Defence Minister and former Perak MB Tajol Rosli.

“Zambry just follows these leaders’ instruction to run the state government. This is riling the other BN leaders, especially those who are not favoured by Ahmad Zahid and Tajol Rosli.

“There are also claims of favouritism and double standard when giving allocation to divisions.

“Some of the divisions which are allied to Tajol Rosli and Ahmad Zahid receive more money than other divisions.

“There is also the infighting in Perak Umno over candidates. There are also other factors which will contribute to Umno’s downfall in Perak. Zambry is simply not the people’s choice of MB in Perak,” said the insider.

MCA, MIC irrelevant

When prodded about the status of BN’s partners, the veteran politician said MCA and MIC were no longer relevant.

“Despite DAP heading into the election with internal party problems, the Chinese majority party proved itself in Perak (in the 2008 elections),” he said.

He also said the spat between Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran and state DAP chairman Ngeh Khoo Ham will not affect the Chinese community’s support for the opposition in the upcoming election.

As for MIC, he said the party will face a nightmare similar to that of 2008 polls.

In the 2008 election, MIC lost all four of its state seats. Even then party president S Samy Vellu lost his incumbency in Sungai Siput to Party Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) candidate Dr D Michael Jeyakumarin.

The only seats they won were in Tapah (held by party vice-president M Saravanan), Cameron Highlands (treasurer-general SK Devamany) and Segamat (deputy president Dr S Subramaniam).

The political insider also pointed out that MIC president G Palanivel’s fears of contesting in a Perak parliamentary seat is a clear indication of the party’s position in the state.

It is rumoured that Palanivel is keen on contesting in Cameron Highlands (Pahang), where the parliament seat is said to be a “safe bet” for MIC.