BN must change to win big

Only by bringing about radical and real changes can BN stand a good chance of retaining power.

COMMENT

While there are several reasons why Pakatan Rakyat was able to make gains in the 12th general election, it is now vital for Barisan Nasional to take drastic steps if it harbours any hope of wanting to win the 13th general election (GE13) by a big margin.

BN should not in any way underestimate the threat that Pakatan poses in the latter’s quest to capture Putrajaya.

In the last general election, the BN machinery was not up to the mark and lost ground to Pakatan in a political tsunami that dented BN’s invincibility.

BN needs to take a good hard look at what happened in the last general election. It needs to study carefully what went wrong and it needs to be brave and bold to make changes if it wants to win the GE13.

The probability of Pakatan winning the GE13 is still considered real and BN must pull up its socks to make vital changes. Making these changes quickly will probably help it to garner more votes.

But the changes will come at a cost. It is up to the BN leadership to decide whether it wants to make these changes.

If BN thinks it need not change because it has been governing the country for the last 55 years without much trouble, then it might be courting danger.

The landslide general election victories in the past had lulled BN into a state of complacency. By letting down its guard, Pakatan was able to make political gains when the 12th general election arrived.

Social injustices

The tactic that Pakatan used and is still using in its war against BN is to portray the ruling coalition as a party of the elite, serving the cause of Umno while the majority of Malaysians are left out of progress and development.

This perception that people have of BN has been exploited by Pakatan to great effect. The opposition was able to harp on the social injustices allegedly perpetrated by BN and in the process, whipped up massive public support.

BN and all its component parties must now start to reach out to the ordinary Malaysians by promising to spread out the wealth of the nation as equitably as possible.

Umno must not be seen as the only beneficiary of economic growth, progress and development.

By reaching out to the common folk, by accommodating Malaysians of all walks of life, BN will undoubtedly win greater favour and support from the electorate.

While Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has been working hard to change the perception people have of BN, it must not been seen as a mere election gimmick. BN must make it a long-term policy to ensure as many Malaysians as possible enjoy the fruit of development.

For this reason, BN’s current drive to bolster its image among the people must not be seen by the rakyat as a ruse to secure votes, but as a long-term commitment to ensure equitable distribution of wealth.

A root cause of BN’s poor showing in the last general election was that it had many candidates who were a political liability to the coalition.

Candidates for political office from BN must inspire confidence and trust in order to govern the country.

Tainted politicians

Malaysians strongly dislike BN politicians who are accused of committing abuses. People are now better informed and educated and will not choose such tainted politicians.

BN politicians who are inept and corrupt should no longer be considered for public office.

If BN continues to field politically unfit candidates in this general election, it risks not getting the support of the electorate.

Therefore, BN should have gone through with a fine toothcomb its list of candidates announced yesterday to ensure that only winnable candidates were chosen.

These are candidates that must project the kind of image that Malaysian voters find favourable.

While BN is a diverse coalition, it must present to Malaysians and the world that there is unity among the disparate groups and that they can come together and govern the country successfully.

Since Malaysia is a multi-religious and multi-racial country, it is important for BN to ensure that Malaysians of all walks of life have a place in this country.

While “1Malaysia” as promoted by BN is the way forward in unifying the people, it must not just be a mere slogan. Instead, BN must go to the ground to make it work. BN must strive for racial and religious harmony and peace.

Najib has already got this splendid “1Malaysia” idea off the ground and it is being seen as a big threat to the chances of the opposition seizing power.

BN must capitalise on the “1Malaysia” concept as it is an initiative that will bring it wide public support.

By coming up with other such similar successful ideas, BN can score big in the upcoming GE13.

Christopher Fernandez is a social critic and commentator.