A game of thrones: Ke-kangkungan Kajang – Vivegavalen Vadi Valu

THE SETTING SCENE

Kajang, a town to the east of Selangor serving as the capital district to Hulu Langat finds itself at the centre of Malaysia’s attention and no, this time it isn’t for their delicious satay kajang or crunk music band K-Town Clan.

Now, before I proceed further, I must refuse to be drawn into the rhetoric’s of the blame game for this article is not intended to be used as a condemning piece of the incumbent regime and neither is it another squawking piece in support of the opposition.

So, Anwar Ibrahim has declared himself as candidate after Lee Chin Cheah the incumbent stepped down, declaring the seat vacant. The former incumbent goes on to state that “this move is for the greater interest of Pakatan Rakyat”.

Mr Lee in his haste to kowtow to his bosses, not only betrayed the trust of the 19,571 Malaysians who voted for him but also made a mockery of the electoral process. I sincerely hope whatever it is was worth all of this for this is one betrayal the people will not forget.

Now, the issue at hand to some is of morality and to others it is of loyalty (often blind) to party and politician. Allow me then to expressly state that this great nation cannot afford to just be about Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat’s pursuit for power.

It is thus time to insert a little context and I’m here to tell you dear readers, that there is no such thing as morality in the game of politics. There are only winners and losers and this is one game we, the people cannot afford to lose.

THE OVERRIDING PROBLEMS

Azmin Ali’s feud with Khalid Ibrahim has been well documented and while Khalid may have his faults in that he is a foremost executive and a politician second, his track record remains sound. There are some of you who may ask, why not install Azmin Ali as Menteri Besar in the first place and be done with it?

This would have avoided an unnecessary by-election and maintained Anwar’s credibility. After all, whatever the reasons, the man has never been given the chance to showcase his capability.

The general consensuses however is that Azmin is not wanted by DAP or PAS and that the majority of the people have taken to Khalid for his honesty and hard-working ethos. Anwar himself is seen to be controlled by Azmin’s whims and his failure in addressing the personal problems between Azmin and Wan Azizah means this is a man who is stronger per say than not only the party president but wife to the de-facto leader.

It has already been established prior to the 13th General Elections that there is zero chance of Azmin becoming Menteri Besar and Anwar in failing to act ensured a reverse edged sword in the Khalid administration.

Then there is also a matter of Selangor Umno, who while still remains quiet possibly laughing deliriously at the current state of affairs  have in the past look to form a pact with PAS under the then leadership of Hasan Ali.

That the seizure of the Alkitab happened under the jurisdiction of Pakatan Rakyat is unforgivable to say the least. The current employments of religious provocation to instigate the people have not gone unnoticed and a repeat of May 13 or similar which Umno continues to threaten the nation with is the last thing Selangor needs at its doorstep.

THE GAME OF KAJANG

Thus, the internal politicking has led to an overspill and in steps Winston Churchill (according to Rafizi Ramli at least) to save the day. Anwar’s measured gamble to move into Selangor has severely damaged his credibility among even his most ardent supporters.

By his own account, this move is to secure and strengthen Selangor, a state with RM2.8 billion in reserves (because who cared about poor old Kedah?). He has in the past profusely denied wanting the position but forgive me for being sceptical because if memory serves, this is a man who should have taken up teaching after the last defeat in the general elections.

Make no mistake, this is a tussle for power but it is not as straightforward as it is made out to be. Anwar Ibrahim does not want to become Menteri Besar, he wants to become the Prime Minister and this is but a means to achieve that goal.

The thing about power however, only those who deserve it effectively wield it and never those who seek it. But, because he can no longer call upon decade old performances as a deputy prime minister to back his claim, like Erdogan, Najib and Guan Eng he has decided to opt for a lesser role before gnawing his way up.

The move will see off two birds with a sole stone whereby Anwar will be able to demonstrate his prowess despite a struggling economy and during a time when the Najib Razak administration is at its weakest as well as consolidate power within PKR and ensure they no longer remain the weak link within Pakatan Rakyat in Selangor.

Where then does that leave Khalid you ask? He will have to tender his resignation not only the Menteri Besar but as an Exco, providing plausible reasons to the Sultan of Selangor and the successor must not only hold the confidence and support of the majority of the assemblymen but he must be one the Sultan deems worthy and if not, there will be a state wide fresh elections.

This would devastate the opposition coalition especially if it proves to be a repeat of the Perak fiasco. If it does not indeed pan out as such and Anwar takes over seamlessly, the public should be expecting statements in the lines of “the greater good of the party” and “the time has come for a new direction”. 

THE FINAL OUTCOME

The chances of Anwar Ibrahim losing this election is slim and if he does eventually win this battle then we the people must be the victors of the war. This is one election we can ill afford to boycott and while the sentiments of anti-government remain strong, it must not cloud our better judgement.

Remember, no one man or party is above criticism or fault. There must always be check and balance and they must always be made to toe the line.

The ball effectively is in our court and the supposed masters have come begging. The scenario either way will be a win-win for the people for if he loses, the status quo remains but in the event he does win, he must be made to win with the smallest of majority, in the hundreds if possible as compared to Lee Chin Cheah’s 6, 824.

His former legal intern, no matter the idiocy is correct in saying that even a single vote less would mean a slap in the face for his political clout, so what more a win in the thousands lesser?

To successfully do this, we will need a third force in the form of a once scorned Parti Sosialis Malaysia to remind Pakatan Rakyat of the power of the people, of their true masters and that every move they take should be in the best interest of the people, not the coalition.

I have already mentioned that there is no such thing as morality in politics and for every Semenyih there must be a Kajang for this is not a form of revenge, merely lessons needed to be learned.

The ringing number of votes lessened will be a timely wake up call to Pakatan Rakyat and one which DAP and PAS will be watching closely for combined, they hold more seats than PKR and Umno and they will loath to lose Selangor because of one party’s incompetence and one man’s chase for power.

If he does become Selangor’s Menteri Besar, then Anwar Ibrahim must be made to spend every waking hour remembering Kajang, remembering who put him there and how he could have just as easily lost everything. - January 30, 2014.

* The writer is an Editorial Director Malaysian Law Students Union in the United Kingdom and Eire (KPUM).