What’s Next After March 8th 2008 ?
8-3-2008 witnessed a watershed of Malaysian politics, the opposition front reduced the 2/3 majority of B.N. in Parliament to a simple majority, and captured 5 out of 13 states in Malaysia i.e. Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan.
The Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi attributed B.N’s failure to primarily the slowness in speed of his reform programmes. However, there is more to it then what is meeting the eyes. Each party is going ahead with its own post-mortem but the power of the day seems to be defensive and protective of their entrenched interests. Therefore, the truth may never be out under their charge.
What is apparent now is the emergence of a two-front system and each front is multi-racial in its make-up. The people are fed-up with the 50 years of Alliance’s/B.N.’s ruling and are eager to give the opposition front a try for the next 4-5 years i.e. being new government of the 5 states and remaining as an effective opposition at the federal level, albeit forming a new federal government if possible in the near future.
As the trend goes, Racial parties, racial institutions and racial policies may quick to become dinosaurs in our political museums. Therefore, those who are serious and politically conscious must conduct a thorough soul-searching regarding the future direction of Malaysia.
“Reinventing” was the slogan of the Penang B.N. in the last general elections, but it only serves to tickle the minds of the people for change so as to put the opposition front in power. What a timely reminder for change indeed!