Fault lies with BN

The question that BN has to earnestly ponder is - why have the rakyat given up on it?

COMMENT

Over five decades of leading the country, ruling coalition Barisan Nasional has paid no heed to the trials and tribulations that had come its way; instead, BN was never big on hindsight, resulting in it paying a heavy price for the unwillingness to change with the times.

BN fall from grace came in 2008 when in the 12th general election it was knocked out from retaining a two-third majority by the opposition under the Pakatan Rakyat banner.

Five years later, in the 13th general election, BN fared even worse. While it won 133 out of 222 federal seats, still short of a two-third majority, it also lost seven more federal states and the popular votes.

For federal seats, BN polled 5,237,699 votes to the Pakatan Rakyat three- party pact of PKR, PAS and DAP combined 5,623,984 ballots. Pakatan also surpassed BN in state seats, pulling in 4,879,699 to the 13-member coalition’s 4,513,997 ballots.

The BN coalition garnered 133 parliamentary seats to form the federal government while Pakatan chalked up 89 seats.

Voting data showed urban voters of different races abandoning support for BN with the coalition winning the elections on the back of solid support from rural Malays and voters from Sabah and Sarawak.

The jolt of once again losing wealthy states like Selangor and Penang was enough to depress BN which however failed to take cognisance of its defeat and instead went into a ‘damage control’ mode.

Hoping to outdo Pakatan in the 13th general election, BN chief Najib Tun Razak who was also the prime minister did everything wrong by the book to secure victory in the May 5, 2013 general election.

In a typical BN-fashion, the coalition unabashedly engaged in vote-buying, denying the rakyat a fair election, electoral fraudulence and getting foreigners to cast votes among others.

So much so that Bersih 2.0 co-chairperson  S Ambiga announced that the movement would hold back its recognition of the new government pending an investigation on reports of electoral fraud.

Thankfully, it was a case of ‘voting using the head and not the heart’ that prompted voters from ‘indulging’ BN in the May 5 national election.

With its worst ever performance in a general election, BN has received the rakyat’s verdict – change or be changed. Thankfully, it was a case of ‘voting using the head and not the heart’ that prompted voters from ‘indulging’ BN in the May 5 national election.

The question that BN has to earnestly ponder is – why have the rakyat given up on it?

The 2008 and 2013 general elections bear proof that the rakyat have had enough of a government that repeatedly engages in a host of wrongdoings.

Fault lies with BN
Despite the delusions shared by Najib and  former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad over the lack of support from the people for BN, the fault in all respect lies with the ruling coalition.

BN’s refusal to end its penchant for corruption, brutal politicking, cronyism, nepotism, abuse of democracy and denying the rakyat their fundamental rights have exerted a price, one that has left BN sulking childishly.

For instance, Mahathir has accused the DAP of spreading ‘propaganda’ that influenced educated Malays into perceiving the “Malay” BN government as corrupt.

The Umno-owned  Utusan Malaysia on May 8 quoted Mahathir, a staunch pro-Malay leader, as saying that he was shocked by BN’s poor performance in Election 2013.

Blaming “ungrateful” Chinese and “greedy” Malay voters, Mahathir said most of the Chinese had rejected the Malays’ hands of friendship – hence the “Chinese tsunami” description by Najib in describing BN’s lousy performance in the 13th general election.

Before Mahathir takes the easy way out by looking for scapegoats for BN’s terrible performance in the general election, it would do him good to stop spreading lies and accept the truth that BN is synonymous with corruption.

To categorise the Chinese as “ungrateful” all because they did the “right’ thing by rejecting BN is the worst racist claim Mahathir can make.

The fact that BN has never championed or defended the rights of the non-Malays is the reason why the Chinese and Indians decided to “Ubah” or change the nation’s political status quo.

Like everything else, humiliation and threats too have their limits. Racial fire stoked by politicians like Ibrahim Ali who heads the Malay extremist group  Perkasa and Zulkifli Noordin, both who never once showed any respect to the non-Malays of this country are among the reasons why the Chinese and Indian communities have rejected BN.

BN has yet to ‘mature’
Dumping blame on DAP or Pakatan or on voters who denied BN a great victory is immaturity at its best – justfications are not going to help. Insted, BN has to swallow the bitter truth that its decline it due to its own doing.

Anger and vindictiveness towards the people over its defeat yet again is only going to make the rakyat dislike and detest BN.

Once such wrong move has come from the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia with its May 7 front page screaming “Apa lagi Cina mahu?” or “what more do the Chinese want”.

Condemned for inciting racial hatred, the newspaper’s agenda was that of blaming the Chinese for turning their backs on BN and diving the nation.

Regrettably, the article was supported by Najib who clearly is sulking over his failure to obtain a fresh mandate from the rakyat to lead the country.

The May 5 loss is BN’s doing. BN has to stop pretending and accept that it is high time for it to wisen up and deal with its defeat in a mature manner. Honesty is the best policy and this BN can no longer turn a blind eye to.

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.