PETALING JAYA (May 8): Political observers have attributed the swing in Indian votes back to the BN in the 13th general election to perceived uncertainty about the community's place within Pakatan Rakyat.
The Opposition found itself stumbling badly in rural constituencies with high numbers of Indian voters, suffering setbacks in a number of seats.
KS Balakrishnan, a political analyst with Universiti Malaya, noted that BN attracted 60% of Indian votes this time round although Pakatan still retained its hardcore Indian supporters.
Balakrishnan put the swing down to the absence of the anger that had driven Indians away from the BN in 2008 and the community's exclusion from Pakatan's manifesto.
"Pakatan doesn't have anything for the Indians but it isn't brave enough to admit that aloud," he said. "It is living its own myopic idea of democracy by trying to accommodate Islam while promoting liberalism".
He said that if Pakatan truly championed liberal democracy, then it would be critical of PAS' concept of an Islamic state.
"But it dares not say that there is no place for religion in politics otherwise it will lose the support of the people and possibly a coalition member," Balakrishnan said.
Monash University's well-known political analyst, James Chin, observed that the Indians are more forgiving and less united as a community, compared to the other ethnic groups.
He pointed out that unlike the Chinese who had DAP veteran and newly-elected Gelang Patah MP, Lim Kit Siang, as their iconic leader, the Indians had no one to rally behind.
"They can't even call Hindraf their leader anymore," Chin said. "The moment (Hindraf chairman P) Waythamoorthy signed that (Memorandum of Understanding) with BN, the ground was polarised. The Indians have no middle ground anymore".
Waythamoorthy inked the MoU with BN on April 18 to signal BN's commitment to uplifting the Indian community.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was seen as making a stronger effort to engage the Indian community with the BN manifesto when he set up a special unit to oversee Indian affairs.
Some of the concessions agreed to by Najib are believed to have come from Hindraf's five-year blueprint.
"What is important to see now is whether Najib will keep to his promise to roll out the concessions in that blueprint and if Waytha is appointed to head the special unit," Chin said.
"If he doesn't get that job then it is obvious that Najib has made a fool of him," he said.
Chin also observed that Najib could be judged on how serious he was about bringing the nation forward by the size of his new Cabinet line-up.
"A smaller Cabinet means Najib is serious about getting things done," he stated. "Status quo or a bigger Cabinet means he isn't. The bigger the Cabinet, the more deputy ministers and the more political patronage."
Another political analyst has called for cooler heads to prevail in aftermath of the GE13 and to restrain from inciting further anger and hatred.
Allegations of electoral fraud have prompted Pakatan leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to call for a rally tonight in a bid to reform the country's electoral system.
Independent political observer Khoo Kay Peng has however cautioned that the rally would not be an absolution of the alleged offences, nor would it change the election results.
"It will make people even angrier," he said. "What is more important is for Pakatan to produce evidence in order to prove the claims of irregularities. Already reports are surfacing that some of the allegations are untrue".
One such allegation is of a blackout at the Bentong Municipal Council building, which was the counting centre for the Bentong parliamentary seat and four state seats.
People posting on social networking sites had claimed that the blackout resulted in an extra ballot box being introduced and the eventual defeat of DAP candidate Wong Tack to caretaker Health minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai.
However journalists and DAP's Ketari assemblyman, Lee Chin Chen, have refuted these claims.
"We are moving towards a tipping point and Pakatan should not incite more anger and hatred among its supporters towards BN and the Election Commission," Khoo said. "Otherwise where is it going to end?"
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