Stop the rallies, Anwar

While two analysts want the PKR supremo to stop the rallies, one analyst say the rallies are needed to address the electoral irregularities.

PETALING JAYA: Analysts today called upon PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim to stop with the rallies and focus Pakatan Rakyat’s energy in the nation building process.

Universiti Utara Malaysia political analyst Mustafa Ishak said it was time for Pakatan to lick its wounds and regroup for the sake of the people.

“You are now the opposition, so play your role as the opposition. People need good governance and someone that will focus on the nation’s progress,” he said.

After the general election, Anwar has embarked on a series of rallies called Black 505, alleging the Election Commission (EC) had “stolen” the election from Pakatan.

Highlighting the fact that Pakatan had won 51% of the popular votes, the rallies have attracted thousands of participants nationwide.

Yesterday, Anwar ruled out any notion that he would halt the rallies, saying he has yet to cover the states of Perlis, Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak.

Mustafa, however, accused Anwar of cheating the public in terms of the electoral results.

The academic argued that Malaysia had always practised the “first past the post system” and it was never about who won the popular votes.

“Anwar is harping on the popular votes but since Merdeka, it was never the criteria to win elections. It’s about how many seats you win. You are fooling the rakyat,” said Mustafa.

He also cautioned Anwar against meddling with public sentiment, saying it could cause problems as it would upset those who had voted for Barisan Nasional (BN).

“In 1969, the Alliance party lost the popular votes and when the opposition contested the results, we had bloodshed. It took us years to recover from the tragedy.

“So stop inciting the people. We must respect the rule of law and the people’s decision,” said Mustafa.

‘People growing tired’

He urged Anwar and Pakatan to focus on their role as opposition and strengthen themselves as a solid check and balance to the government.

“And stop all this rally nonsense. People are growing tired,” said Mustafa.

Echoing Mustafa’s sentiments, Universiti Sains Malaysia political analyst Mohamad Zaini Abu Bakar said that Anwar should ask himself whether the rallies would contribute anything towards making the country a developed nation.

He also said that it was best for everyone to focus on how to maintain the stability in the country so that Malaysia could move forward in the challenging global arena.

“Let’s learn from the West and countries such as Japan and South Korea. They became strong nations because they focused on political stability, which in return facilitated their economic and education development.

“All these rallies will only contribute to havoc and political uncertainties,” said Zaini.

He also reminded Pakatan that Malaysia was built on consensus among all races, not at the back of shallow interest of any political leader.

“As a respected leader, Anwar should channel the people’s aspirations towards a compromise on this matter,” said Zaini.

Wrongdoers must pay

Meanwhile, Nottingham University analyst Zaharom Nain disagreed with Mustafa and Zaini’s statements.

“This pathetic pattern must stop. The habit of wanting to move on despite the massive cheating (gerrymandering, phantom voters) via the electoral system must stop. The wrongdoers must be held accountable,” said Zaharom.

He also said that the rallies were the only way to keep the electoral irregularities issue alive, especially when the culprits and their supporters want to sweep the matter under the carpet.

For that matter, Zaharom said that the peaceful rallies should continue until the EC responds properly to the grievances voiced out by the people.

Targeting the EC, Zaharom said that the recent general election just proved to the people how tainted the electoral process was in the country.

“The idiots and sycophants running the show must be replaced by professionals and untainted people. The EC itself must be independent and not beholden to BN,” he said.

Zaharom added that the rallies were a way for the people to voice out against the fraudulent electoral system and it was never about Anwar or any other Pakatan leaders.

“Indeed, Anwar may have inspired them but the rallies are attended by those who are genuinely concerned about the state of our country,” he said.