It appears to be a case of tit-for-tat  as the political temperature soars in  the run-up to the coming general  election.

Just a few days earlier, Umno had  hit
out at DAP deputy chairman Karpal Singh, questioning his ethics as a  lawyer. The MP for Jelutong was  criticised for allegedly abusing the  courts for his political agenda.

To emphasise the ideological differences of the Opposition, the MCA  rapped PAS deputy president Abdul  Hadi Awang for his attempt to table a  Bill to curb the propagation of religions
other than Islam.

The message was clear: PAS is bent  on
setting up an Islamic state and the  DAP
is guilty by association.

The latest relevation by Murad will  work
two ways. To reformasi supporters, the allegations of huge slush  funds would just be another government
conspiracy to discredit Anwar,  while
allegations made by the Opposition, particularly PAS, are believable and
acceptable.

No amount of explanation by Barisan leaders would make a difference.

Murad's expose would, however,  make an
impression on the fence-sitters. It could damage Anwar's credibility and set
back his campaign.

More importantly, the various issues over the past week have put the  Opposition on the defensive.

For the last six months, the Opposition has come up with all kinds of issues
ranging from the construction  of
Putrajaya to the alleged arsenic 
poisoning of Anwar.

The poisoning episode, however,  proved
to be damaging to the Opposition as tests carried out locally and  overseas have proved negative.

With no arguments left, the Opposition resorted to calling for a Royal  Commission of Inquiry to be set up.

In a bid to return to the spotlight,  the
Opposition unveiled its election 
manifesto last week. Although Malaysian elections have never been  won on manifestos, the move by the  Opposition is refreshing.

As our voters become more educated and urbanised, they would want to  study the programme and written  promises by political parties. It is  likely to be a trend in the coming  years.

The biggest achievement by the 
Opposition is, perhaps, the decision 
by PAS to drop its “Islamic state'' demand in the manifesto. This
must  have been the result of a
compromise  among the leaders of Parti
Keadilan  Nasional, PAS, DAP and
PRM.

The Opposition was clear on its decision to repeal the Internal Security  Act if it comes to power.

The biggest flaw, however, is the  lack
of clarity on other laws which  the
Opposition has claimed to be draconian in nature.

Despite its talk of justice, the Opposition is only ready to commit itself to
review laws such as the University and University Colleges Act  and the Printing and Publications  Act.

Setting up committees to review  these
laws with no time-frame will be  perceived
as a delaying tactic with no  sincerity
in abolishing these laws.

The Opposition's follow-up action  of
presenting an alternative budget  was an
unprecedented move although  it received
scant attention.

In fact, it would do the Malaysian 
political system a lot of good if they 
take it a step further by setting up a 
Shadow Cabinet.

If Dr Jomo Sundram has drawn up  an
alternative budget, along the lines  of a
shadow finance minister, surely  Keadilan
leader Irene Fernandez can  be shadow
human resources minister. It would be interesting to see  what she has to offer Malaysian  workers, after fighting for foreign  workers for years.

The biggest blow to the Opposition  must
surely be Budget 2000 tabled by  First
Finance Minister Tun Daim 
Zainuddin.

Call it an election budget if you  must;
the fact remains that it is a bag  of
goodies.

So what if Budget 2000 is aimed at 
getting votes? After all, the whole 
point of an Alternative Budget is to 
win votes.

Civil servants, some of whom have  been
involved in anti-government activities, should be grateful for the increase in
wages and other perks.

Unlike workers in the private sector, they enjoy job security or what is  known as the “iron rice-bowl'' during  an economic crisis.

Now that the Government has been 
generous in the budget, civil servants 
should focus their attention on improving efficiency and
productivity.

More important, the budget will  lead to
a trickle-down effect, so the  economic
recovery can be felt by all 
Malaysians.

With the euphoria over the budget,  it
won't be long before the general 
election is called.

It is a step in the right direction  as the proposed council would  serve as a forum to discuss and  sort out issues of mutual concern.  One of the sore points among the  students is the perception that  their voices have been stifled.

During the one-hour closed door meeting in Putrajaya last  week, Abdullah heard the 35 student leaders
out.

The meeting was the result of a  recent
demonstration at Universiti Malaya when Abdullah delivered a lecture there.
Instead of  turning his back on them, he
met  the demonstrators.

He accepted a memorandum  from them and
promised to meet  them. He kept his
promise by  meeting them last week.

No one should expect miracles  from one
meeting. But what seems  like a
confrontational situation a  few months
ago has become more  amiable.

The student leaders who agreed  to the
council have shown their  leadership
qualities. They have  stood their ground,
insisting on  changes to certain laws
affecting  them, such as the University
and  University Colleges Act.

At the same time, they have  shown their
maturity by their  willingness to listen
to the views  of others.

It is thus a shame that another  student
group has opposed the setting up of the council.

Even their fax inviting journalists to a press conference was  from Suaram, a non-government  organisation known for its anti government
stand.

Any student leader will tell you  that
student representatives have  their own
offices in the campus,  complete with
clerical support.

These students shouldn't allow 
themselves to be used. As student 
leaders, they must demonstrate 
their ability to make decisions on 
their own.

The proposal to set up the council is a good first step. The students should
insist the council  should not merely
talk but must  produce results.

If they want to have a say in any  change
to the UCCA, then this  council must be
able to play its  part. Results are
important to justify their support for the council.

Those who are against the council must put aside their sentiments  and analyse whether the Opposition is able to
form the next government.

If the answer is no, then it  doesn't
hurt them to start talking  to the
Government.

No one is suggesting they burn  their
bridges with their PAS and  Parti
Keadilan Nasional idols.

There are good reasons for having the UCCA. It stops student involvement in
factional or ethnic  politics in
campuses; such political clubs will only result in further polarisation among
students.

At this point, the type of politics 
which seems dear to student leaders can hardly be regarded as liberal,
progressive, non-ethnic and  rational
because PAS seems to be  the dominant
player in campuses.

The success of the proposed  consultative
council would depend  on the student
leaders themselves.

Those who have agreed to it  should
demonstrate their sincerity  by being
committed. They are not  answerable to
any opposition leaders if they believe in their independence.

The issue is not politics. It is  grouses
which the students have  with the
government of the day.

The Government has met the  students half
way and it is up to  them now to decide
whether they  want to resolve issues
through negotiations.

At the same time, student leaders must understand that negotiations cannot be
conducted if they  threaten the
Government with  demonstrations.

They must understand and accept that they represent the students, not the
people of Malaysia.

They should also remember that  they are
students and not politicians. While students should be  beware of political developments,  their priority is to study hard.

Now, they are given a chance to  sit down
with the Deputy Prime  Minister who is
willing to listen to  them.

They shouldn't waste this opportunity. Neither should they let  down a leader who has shown his  sincerity.

If the student bodies can sit  down and
think rationally rather  than be
influenced by certain  groups and take a
confrontational  attitude, it will be
easier to solve  problems.

Our student leaders must now  prove
whether they have the skills  to
negotiate, persuade and compromise.

These are the qualities of good 
leaders  which we believe our  student representatives should be  in the future.

To possess these abilities, they  have to
do their homework and  brush up  their language and negotiating skills.

For the past week, Malaysians  have followed the trail of the celebrity-like
F1 drivers who turned  up at functions to
please their  sponsors. They have had to
kiss babies, sign autographs, pose for 
photographers  one even
opened  a bank.

There's no such thing as a free  ride in
this case. The F1 event is  more than a
race  it's mega bucks business.

And if you believe the claim by  PAS
central committee member  Datuk Dr Hassan
Harun, the entire  exercise is to
hypnotise Malaysians with the various brands of 
cigarettes.

It's another kind of vice endorsed by Barisan Nasional, the  motivation-speaker-turned-politician said at
a recent ceramah. In  August, PAS
condemned the pre National Day celebration in Bangsar, describing the trendy
spot as a  haven for vices.

Dr Hassan and his supporters  are
unlikely to be at Sepang today. 
Presumably, shouting slogans and 
burning Barisan flags would be 
more thrilling for them than 
watching speeding cars.

Bringing Formula One racing to  Malaysia
is a coup. It has put Malaysia on the world map because  the event is not a one-off race.

Next year, Malaysia will host the  last
leg of the race. That means the  champion
will be crowned here.

Beside the international exposure, the returns from tourism will  be enormous. Hotels in Kuala  Lumpur were booked solid over  the past one week.

Nearby tourist spots such as  Port
Dickson and even Pangkor  have attracted
visitors who came  for the race.

The F1 is one of the biggest  sports
events, attracting over 500  million
television viewers across  260
countries.

That aside, it makes sense to  hold the
race in Malaysia as it  complements our
efforts to be an  automobile producer. It
is also a  boost to motorsports as it
will enhance automotive engineering capabilities.

As Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad pointed out, it could encourage locals to
design racing  cars on par with those
produced  abroad.

Malaysia should now take the  next step
of hosting world-class  motor shows like
those held in Japan, the United States and Europe.  The F1 race, considered the ultimate in motor
sports, will  strengthen any bid by Malaysia
to  host an international motor
show.

PAS leaders are merely being 
economically myopic when they 
bring up petty issues to criticise 
the race.

Tobacco sponsorship in the race,  for
example, reportedly amounts  to 30mil per
season, which covers  16 races, while
souvenir sales run  to millions of
dollars.

Over the next five to six years, 
however, financial institutions are 
likely to edge tobacco companies 
out as they take over F1 sponsorship.

The countries involved in hosting the races are Australia, Brazil,  San Marino, Monaco, Spain, Canada, France,
Britain, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Italy,  Luxembourg, Malaysia and Japan.

The 61 sq km San Marino is  smaller than
Perlis and is located  near Italy. A tax
haven, the landlocked republic has made itself 
known following the F1 race despite having a population of only  25,000.

Despite its small size, it has not 
stopped San Marino from hosting 
the event. Malaysia certainly has 
better capabilities.

Now is the time to show the  world whether
we are world class  or merely interested
in hoisting  party flags on tree
tops.

The RM286mil Sepang F1 circuit  is
regarded as the best. It won't be  a
white elephant because it will  stage the
World 500cc motorcycle  GP in
April.

It also has a go-kart circuit and  tracks
for motorcross. An 18-hole  golf course
is on the cards while  other
facilities  including a  theme park, hotel and hypermarket  will be built.

Similarly, when the National Stadium at Bukit Jalil was being constructed for
the Commonwealth  Games '98, criticism
was rife that  it would be left idle. It
has turned  out otherwise  the stadium is  used for concerts and trade fairs  now.

And as F1 legend Jackie Stewart  said,
“make Malaysia known for its 
attractions and not because of its 
politicians.''

Let's prove to the world that the 
Malaysian Formula works.

Last week, the Cabinet directed  all ministers and senior civil servants to
cancel their leave plans; a strong sign
that the general election is imminent.

Speculation is rife that Parliament will be dissolved this month and polling will be held by the second week
of November.

The 25th Barisan anniversary 
celebration, scheduled for Oct 24, 
has received the go-ahead from 
the Prime Minister.

The biggest boost for the Government must be the negative results of the
findings on the alleged  arsenic
poisoning of Datuk Seri  Anwar
Ibrahim.

The first report came from Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. When the
results were unfavourable to Anwar, his supporters responded by insinuating
that  the hospital was under
political  pressure.

The bottom line, they implied,  was a
cover-up. They wanted an  investigation
by a Royal Commission of Inquiry.

But it would be difficult for the 
Opposition to dispute the findings 
of the London and New York hospitals which also concluded that Anwar did
not suffer from arsenic  poisoning.

Four different laboratories in  Malaysia,
Australia and Britain  found arsenic
present in samples  of Anwar's hair,
urine and nails but  they were all within
acceptable  levels.

The Mayo Clinic of New York  was of the
opinion that the presence of arsenic was "due to the  consumption of a non-toxic form of  arsenic, probably from sea food.''

The findings also showed that  Anwar was
free from HIV, refuting an earlier allegation that Anwar was injected with the
AIDS virus.

The Opposition has made a tactical error and would need some  time to pump up sagging morale  among its ranks.

For Barisan, the clear evidence  of the
country's economy recovery   achieved
without submitting to  the International
Monetary Fund,  unlike Indonesia and
Thailand  is  another morale-booster.

Despite being criticised for its  capital
controls move, Malaysia  managed to pull
through without  massive retrenchment and
a sharp  rise in prices of essential
goods.

Some of us may recall that a  year ago,
the pro-opposition foreign media forecast a scenario of  Malaysian banks collapsing.

The reports called for reforms,  saying
the Government had not  been tough enough
on the banking  system. But when Bank
Negara  moved to merge some banks in
order to strengthen the system, the  same
media looked for faults.

Another plus point was Dr Mahathir's willingness accommodate  an appeal by Chinese groups.

What was earlier seen as a potentially sour point among the Chinese community
turned out well,  with MCA president
Datuk Seri Dr  Ling Liong Sik getting the
various  Chinese groups to sit down to
resolve the controversy.

Dr Ling pointed out that it was  an
appeal, not a demand.

There was also no demand for a  deputy
prime minister's post, as  presumed by
some. Dr Ling said  that representatives
of Chinese  groups would be named into
the  National Economic Consultative  Committee II.

It is important to note that Datuk  Chong
Chin Shoong, regarded as a  moderate,
retained the presidency  of the powerful
Federation of Chinese Associations of Malaysia.

With economic recovery, a bullish stock market will help quell  anti-establishment sentiments especially
among the urban middle  class.

Investors and retailers understand that if Barisan is not returned with a
strong mandate, the  effects would be
disastrous to the  market.

And the trickle-down effect of  the
economic recovery will be felt  even more
when the Government  announces its
year-end bonus for  civil servants.

Bearing in mind all these factors, the time is ripe for Barisan to  call for elections. After months of  defence, Barisan is on the offensive
again.

Dr Mahathir should take advantage of these developments. Fresh  issues would only put Barisan on  the defensive.

Most Malaysians would have  made up their
minds by now.  Those who want stability
would  vote Barisan while those who want  a change in the system would vote  the Opposition.

Anwar supporters have accused  the
Government of poisoning him  while
Barisan has accused the Opposition of poisoning the people's  mind. It's time for the voter to decide whose "brew'' is more potent.

Asked whether he was being  used by Keadilan, Ito replied he  was actually the one using Keadilan.

Ito, 48, as everyone in the music 
industry knows, is a fading star. 
His name doesn't ring a bell to 
youngsters brought up in the era of 
hip-hop music.

“I'm using them. I need a platform for my work,'' he explained.  Still, his decision to join the opposition
party must be music to the  ears of the
reformasi movement.

With Ito's participation, Harakah may just decide to be progressive and start a
music review page.

Keadilan's unhappiness seems to  be
towards the country's hottest  singer,
Siti Nurhaliza, who has  been performing
at many gatherings attended by Datuk Seri Dr 
Mahathir Mohamad.

Keadilan's information chief  Ruslan
Kassim has complained  that Siti has
sounded like Dr Mahathir  politically,
that is.

Siti has been telling her audiences that they must be patriotic  and not be used by foreign elements.

Ruslan shouldn't be too upset.  Siti is
certainly not being used.  Like Ito, she,
too is using the Barisan Nasional.

After all, she has said she would 
perform at gatherings organised 
by the opposition if invited. Like 
Ito, she is willing to use Keadilan, 
too.

Recently, veteran singer D.J.  Dave
turned up at a dinner in conjunction with Dr Mahathir's visit  to Sabah.

“I am for stability,'' he told  guests
who sat with him. Stability  is, of
course, the euphemism for  supporting
Barisan.

Just a day earlier, KRU and Elite  were
performing to a packed  crowd at a
gathering organised by  Barisan Youth in
Tuaran, Sabah.

Even Chinese entertainers have  got into
the act  several HVD actors have joined
the MCA. In fact,  there is now the
Malaysian Chinese Artistes Association.

It shouldn't be too difficult for  our
entertainers to climb their party hierarchies.

Politics demands quite a bit of  acting,
actually. And politicians  need to sing
or crow about their  successes.

If Ronald Reagan and Joseph Estrada can become presidents, why  can't Ito or Siti Nurhaliza make it?

In fact, in the US, Warren Beatty, a one-time heart-throb, is reportedly
seriously going for the 
presidency.

In one city, Americans voted a  wrestler
as mayor.

In India, revered actor MGR  used his
silver screen popularity to  become chief
minister of Tamil  Nadu while Hindustani
action hero  Amitabh Bachan became an
assemblyman.

However, it is unlikely to expect 
Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik 
Aziz Nik Mat to welcome Ito to the 
state.

If dikir barat is banned by the  PAS
government, there is no  chance of Ito
singing the blues  away for Nik Aziz and
other PAS  leaders.

Besides, blues carries certain 
connotatios. It would probably remind them of the Barisan official  colour.

Ito can sing all the blues he  wants but
you can bet that PAS  leaders won't be green
with envy.

Siti, of course, won't get a job in  the
Kelantan civil service. She is  too
attractive and is considered a 
distraction.

KRU and Elite will be at home in 
Bangsar  which, by the way,
is  considered a place for vices,
according to PAS  but certainly not  in Kelantan.

Our politicians should be worried with the prospects of these artiste joining
their ranks.

For one, they are certainly better attractions and need not resort  to extreme ends like chauvinism or  bigoted fundamentalists to get  public attention.

They will be like ducks taking to  water
if they were to address a political rally.

They will definitely not suffer  from
cold feet when holding a microphone before a large crowd.

The only difference is that, instead of singing, they will have to  talk 
which isn't too difficult considering the quality of some of our  politicians.

But the essence of the whole  thing is
still the same  to woo  your listeners to whatever you're  singing or saying.

In fact, singing a song and delivering a political speech have many  things in common.

Performers do not sing different  songs
to different crowds. They  usually sing
one of their hits at every show they go and only sing different songs when they
have new  hits.

Politicians will, at every ceremah, repeat an issue which they  feel can attract and keep their listeners
entertained.

In short, singing a hit repeatedly  is
akin to a politician's rhetorics.

Politicians are always glad to  have a
new issue that they can exploit during ceramah. If they over stretch an issue,
they fear losing  their crowd.

Surely, that is something singers 
realise. Using a hit song too many 
times may make them less in demand.

A new hit on the charts will ensure they remain in the entertainment
circulation.

The moral of the story, for all of  us,
including politicians is: Don't  sound
like a broken record.

It cannot be denied that there  are some over-zealous policemen  who abuse their authority.

On the other hand, the force has  reacted
swiftly by charging the  constable with
the killing of Dr  Tai.

Those who have demanded answers to the killing must understand that the matter
is now in the  hands of the courts.

Policing is a tough job but there  is
much the force can do to improve its image. For a start, putting on a friendly
face will help.

Generally, Malaysians do not  have
serious complaints against  the force.
The misforgivings are  mostly about the
mata-mata who  hide behind trees to stop
motorists.

Still, many of the complainants  are
guilty themselves in offering  bribes to
these policemen.

The force is understaffed and  needs some
beefing up. There have  been complaints
of the police arriving late at a crime scene.

A break-in may be a petty crime,  but a
complainant expects immediate attention. He expects the culprit to be
apprehended, even if the  circumstances
may not allow it.

Public expectation is indeed high   even
unrealistic at times.

We expect the police to make  sure that
demonstrators do not  turn unruly; at the
same time we  expect them to use kid's
gloves on  these demonstrators.

When protestors are arrested,  police
brutality is often alleged.  When
policemen are attacked, it is  always
retaliation due to provocation by the cops.

And when a policeman is killed  in the
line of duty, there is hardly  any
sympathy  as if it is expected of them to
lay down their lives.

There is a lot that needs to be  done to
improve the force but we  should not
dampen the morale of  policemen.

A sober approach is called for.  We
cannot ignore the fact that  there has
been an increase in the  crime rate and the
police have  been directed to step up
patrols.

There will be checks and inspections, particularly on suspicious  people in isolated areas. If we expect the
police to perform, we  should not see
these checks as harassment.

Crimes have become more frequent and brutal. No one has still  been charged with the murder of  Johor Baru Deputy OCPD Supt  Mazlah Jamil. And the murder of  student Audrey Melissa remains a  mystery.

But there are cases which have  dented
the image of the force.  Many of us
remember the shoot out in Tumpat last October when  six men, including an MIC division  Youth chief, were shot dead. Or the  accidental shooting of a Bank Simpanan
Nasional teller in January.

We want our police to be tough  but we
also want them to restrain  themselves.

There must be a middle path,  surely. The
police could start by  re-examining their
approach while  on crime rounds.

Weapons should only be used if  there is
reason to believe that the  subject is
dangerous. It is ridiculous, for example, to shoot an unarmed person in the
head.

There are rules and guidelines  on the
use of firearms and they  clearly define
the specific situation that merits the use of a gun, as  Inspector-General of Police Tan  Sri Norian Mai said.

What needs to be done is to re emphasise some of these points to  our policemen.

There must be an honest review  on the
exercise of power to ensure  that
confidence in the force is 
maintained.

Added manpower and better  equipment
alone will not necessarily improve the force. Our policemen need to upgrade
their skills,  too.

Fighting crime has become more  complex.
Policemen need to be  trained in
information technology,  accounting and
even business  management to counter
cyber  crimes and white-collar
cases.

All these will not be sufficient if  the
salaries and career prospects  are
unattractive.

Malaysians should play their  part in
crime prevention. Neighbourhood committees and non government organisations
can  work with the force to establish a  strong bond 
and to deter attempts to portray policemen as villains in uniform.

It's time our policemen get their  act
together. Let the shooting of Dr  Tai be
the last.

For the 500 Barisan Nasional  Youth leaders, particularly those  from the peninsula who turned up  for the three-day convention, it  was an eye-opener.

The Tuaran parliamentary seat  is held by
PBS leader Yunof Marinking, a party vice-president.

The convention participants  spent their
time not only to strategise for the general election but  also to try to convince the constituents that
they should vote Barisan  for
development.

The PBS had won Tuaran, a party stronghold, with a majority of  2,006 votes in a straight fight in the  1995 general election.

Last week, almost all the top  Umno
leaders headed by Datuk  Seri Dr Mahathir
Mohamad campaigned in the state which has 21 
parliamentary seats at stake, including Labuan. The PBS has six  MPs in the 192-member Dewan  Rakyat.

There are several reasons why  Umno has
focussed on Sabah. Morale is still high following Barisan's victory in the
March state  elections which saw the
coalition  winning 31 out of 48
seats.

Despite fears that the Datuk Seri  Anwar
Ibrahim issue could erode  Barisan's
support, Umno won all  the 24 state seats
it contested.

The pro-opposition foreign media had, in fact, written Barisan  off. An hour after polling closed, a  news agency reported that Barisan  had supposedly lost.

In the end, it was the Kadazans  who
rejected their leaders in Barisan. The division in the community  has been costly  they lost their  chief minister's post, the important state
Cabinet positions, and  their political
clout.

As the general election looms  nearer,
Umno seems certain of doing well again in Sabah. The Opposition Front
comprising Parti Keadilan Nasional, PAS, DAP and PRM  is almost non-existent in the state.

Despite attempts by Keadilan to  strike a
pact with PBS, the latter  has politely
turned down any formal arrangement. The reason is  simple: it would be suicidal for  PBS, which has strong backing  from Christian groups, to work  with PAS which wants to set up an  Islamic state.

That aside, PBS doesn't need any  help
from these opposition parties  and it
certainly has no intention of  sharing
any seats with them.

Keadilan is eyeing Labuan, now  held by
Barisan  so is PBS. Many  believe a three-way contest involving the
three parties is likely in  Labuan.

While Umno seems certain of  winning all
the Muslim bumiputra  majority seats,
most Sabah watchers believe that the PBS can maintain the status quo.

Dr Mahathir's two-day visit to 
Sabah  during which he spoke
in  Labuan, Lahad Datu and Kota
Kinabalu  marked the second round  of his nation-wide tour.

Soon after the state elections, he 
visited Ranau, a trip many political 
observers interpreted as the start 
of his general election campaign.

Equally important is Sarawak,  which has
28 parliamentary seats.  Except for the
DAP-held Bintulu  seat, the state is a
Barisan fortress.

The two states are crucial because they make up almost a third  of the seats in Parliament. If the  Barisan has the two states in its  bag, it will be able to concentrate  on the peninsula.

Mathematically, the tussle will  be over
seats comprising the rest  of the
two-thirds.

First Finance Minister Tun Daim 
Zainuddin told reporters in Tuaran 
that the elections could be held 
anytime now since the country had 
begun recovering from the economic downturn.

Malaysians were beginning to  smile, he
said, adding that it was a  sure sign of
economic recovery.

But Dr Mahathir has yet to give  any
hints of the election date. The  Prime
Minister is scheduled to be  in New York
from Sept 25 to 29 and  in Zimbabwe from
Oct 2 to 6.

The date for the Budget has  changed
twice  the latest being  Oct 29. Those who predict that the  polls will be held after October,  possibly in November, expect an  election budget besides it being a  report card on how the country has  fared economically.

Many of the campaigners are beginning to show signs of fatigue.  They hope Parliament will be dissolved soon
so that they can go full  swing.

It must be worse for those in the 
opposition. PAS, for example, has 
campaigned for the past one year 
with a ceramah almost every 
night.

Despite the demand from the  DAP for a
longer campaign period,  the unofficial
campaigning has  gone on far too
long.

Barisan campaigners reckon  that the
longer the Prime Minister  delays in
calling for elections, the  greater the
possibility of fresh issues for the Opposition to raise.

Eager they may be, Barisan  campaigners
should ask themselves whether they are capable of  rebutting questions raised by the  Opposition 
from the jailing of  former Kota
Melaka MP Lim Guan  Eng to the alleged
arsenic poisoning of Anwar.

At Tuaran, the Barisan Youth 
participants had to wake up at 5am 
 for exercise, moral
lectures,  seminar-paper presentation
and  campaigning  and only got to bed  at about midnight.

To reduce expenses, the organisers packed more than two participants to a
room.

Having gone through such rigorous training, the participants can't  wait to put their newly-acquired  skills to good use.

There are many, it seems, who  are willing to take that emotional  position.

In a democracy, demands for  greater
transparency, accountability and democratic space are justified.

But the coming election isn't just  a
fight between Barisan Nasional  and the
opposition front. It's a tussle between Umno and PAS, a fight  between moderation and extremism.

The rest of the component parties would merely be playing a supporting role.
With Parti Keadilan  Nasional and PAS
flags flying side  by side, the voter
might get the impression that they are one and the  same.

While the two parties may broadly agree on some fundamental issues, the biggest
threat to Umno is  finally PAS.

PAS is far more experienced and  better
organised than Keadilan. In  the
opposition front, PAS would  play the
dominant role.

Keadilan, on the other hand, comprises former Umno members who  have benefitted from the system  over the past 16 years.

Many of them had made their  money from
allocated shares,  which they bought
through easily available bank loans. It is the very  system that many of them criticise  now.

They are not the only ones. There  are
also those supporting the government who became millionaires   not through business acumen but  through such privileges.

Then, there is another core group  in
Keadilan, the idealistic academicians who have never run a political campaign
before. They assume  that winning an
election is merely  writing a thesis and
speaking at a  ceramah.

It is the PAS machinery that will 
dominate the opposition campaign, 
not even the DAP which can only 
contest in urban seats.

Mathematically, if all the Chinese voters back the DAP, the party will win up
to 28 parliamentary  seats.

It remains a minor party in the 
opposition front, though. The DAP 
can no longer take for granted that 
the Chinese will back the party, 
given the present sentiments of 
Chinese voters in wanting to vote 
for stability.

The DAP is, in fact, in danger of  losing
the post of Opposition Leader to PAS or Keadilan if these two  parties get more seats.

For the first time in DAP history,  the
party is banking on non-Chinese votes to win more seats. It has  to break free from its communal  image or lose substantial support.

Thanks to Keadilan and DAP supporters, PAS would probably walk  away with the most number of  seats.

The likely scenario is if the Opposition forms the next federal  government, PAS, being the dominant party,
will push forward its  plans to set up an
Islamic state.

If PAS doesn't get its way because Keadilan, DAP and PRM are  against its policies, we will have a  squabble over how the government  should be run. A feuding government will not
benefit anyone.

While the DAP is clear on its secular government stand, we are not  so sure about Keadilan. Its position  has been vague.

What happens if the Opposition  cannot
form the next federal government? There is the possibility of  more opposition MPs. From a positive view,
there will be a stronger  check and
balance.

At the same time, increased representation for PAS would mean a  louder voice for its demands.

A secular government without a  strong
mandate would have to play  a balancing
role. Fearful of losing  its grip, it
will be submissive and 
compromising.

Without its two-thirds majority,  it will
be more concerned with politicking than in the running of the  government.

Given the uncertainties, the  stock
market will suffer overnight  as fewer
people will be willing to 
share-trade.

The line between PAS and Keadilan is now blurred because both are  shouting reformasi.

The two parties, however, have  different
agendas. One is honest  enough to say
that it wants an Islamic state. So, if PAS sets out its  orthodox policies later, Malaysians  shouldn't complain.

Keadilan is preoccupied with  freeing
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim   period. The
rest are merely issues drummed up to win votes.

It is time for moderate Malaysians to appreciate the importance  of the principle of secularism for  the realisation of national unity.

Yes, there are flaws in Malaysia  that
need to be corrected. Yes,  there are
better ways of handling  some
issues.

Being emotional is one thing; dismantling the entire system without  realising it is dangerous.

Malaysians should not vote for a  change
for the sake of changing because they might get something  worse.

We must never allow any move  by any
political party to remove  our liberal
lifestyle, which we now  enjoy due to the
existence of a secular government.

There are those who talk about  freedom
and justice but make no  bones of their
intention to impose  their moral
standards on our social  and cultural
life. These politicians  confuse
liberalism with permissiveness.

In our struggle for democratic  rights,
we must be aware of those  who want to
curb values which we  have taken for
granted.

Before casting their votes, Malaysians should ask themselves  whether the alternative is capable  and effective enough in ensuring  their political, economic, social,  cultural and religious rights.

Wei is no ordinary shipper. He  heads China's state-owned Ocean  Shipping (Group) Co, which has the  largest bulk cargo fleet in the  world and which is rated third in  the world for container cargo.

For Wei, it was an eye-opener.  Although
he has visited Malaysia  before, the side
visits this time and  his experience in
eating durians  provided him a lasting
impression  of the country.

Like other Malaysians who are  good at
playing the gracious host,  Dr Ling
invited Wei to several  functions which
he opened, giving  Wei a glimpse of his
daily routine.

That wasn't all. Wei also had the 
privilege of seeing the pre-National Day celebrations.

Many of the things which Wei enjoyed are things that some of us  have taken for granted.

There are Malaysians who no  longer see
and appreciate the good  things we
have.

There is so much bias among  some, that
there is no longer anything good about the country.

Even the simple act of participating in a National Day celebration is  perceived to be supportive of the  Government.

By right, there shouldn't be any 
question of political affiliations.

PAS, for example, has criticised  the
residents of Bangsar for organising a street carnival last week to  celebrate National Day.

In the latest edition of its party 
organ, Harakah, PAS equated the 
carnival to some kind of wild party 
involving liquor and the seedier 
side of life.

Those who of us who were at the 
carnival, including Datuk Seri Dr 
Mahathir Mohamad, know for a  fact
that that was not the case.

But Malaysians outside Kuala  Lumpur, who
merely read Harakah  and believe
everything it publishes, may come to wrong conclusions.

What was conveniently left out  by the
newsletter was that the carnival organisers had set up stores  promoting healthy living such as  hill climbing, mountain biking and  scuba diving. There were also nasyid and
traditional Malay performances.

The parade featured school brass  bands
and medallists of the SEA  Games. But
that was not reported  by Harakah.

More than that, what Harakah  failed to see
was how such a carnival successfully broke down the  walls of ethnicity.

The event proved that Kuala  Lumpur and
the rest of the country, given a chance, can truly be a  melting pot for the different cultures and
ways of life of the different races.

While ethnic identity is still  somewhat
important to Malaysians,  events such as
the Bangsar carnival reflect that tolerance and acceptance of each other's
differences is the essence in being able 
to live peacefully together.

Supporters of PAS may no longer  have
good things to say about Malaysia but there are many from  neighbouring countries who would  risk their lives to make the desperate
journey here.

All they want is to live and work  hard
and to enjoy the standard of  living
which Malaysians enjoy.

That many of us can afford to  own houses
and cars and go on occasional holiday trips shows that  our standard of living has gone up.  The cost of living has been manageable.

Many foreigners make their trips  here to
work because they believe  in what Malaysia
can offer  just  like many of our forefathers.

Like them, we just want to eke  out a
living, take our family out and  be able
to pay our bills on time.  That's not too
much to ask.

There's nothing shameful in asking for political stability and economic
prosperity. These are human  rights and
justice.

Dissenting views, conflicts and  demands
for change are not wrong.   But the
greatest fear is that there  are many who
want to go beyond  that  to change our entire system  and lives all together.

This has resulted in some fear  among the
people because drastic  changes will
always bring uncertainties.

PAS, for example, wants to impose on us its rigid and orthodox  standard of living.

For Malaysians, the question is:  are we,
living in a multi-ethnic and 
multi-religious society, ready for 
it?

Malaysians should not be made to  feel
guilty if they just want to have  a good
time on National Day and  other
festivities.

And as our Prime Minister pointed out to Kelantan Mentri Besar  Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat in their  teleconferencing on the eve of National Day,
dikir barat should be  enjoyed by all and
not banned.

Those of us who cherish a liberal 
lifestyle must never compromise 
on our principles of maintaining a 
secular system.

In wanting to maintain that, Malaysians should realise that it is not  an effort to undermine anyone's religious
rights.

We must be allowed to pursue the  faith
we believe in and at the same  time learn
to appreciate the religion of others without any fear of  compulsion.

For many Malays, Keadilan was a  vehicle for them to pursue their  challenge against the Barisan Nasional,
particularly Umno.

To the Chinese and Indians, it  was an
additional choice, if they  had no
allegiance to the DAP.

Combining its strength with PAS,  PRM and
DAP, Keadilan seemed to  be an attractive
party of the future.

To the middle class non-Malays,  Keadilan
deputy president Dr  Chandra Muzaffar was
a respectable figure who had been consistent on politics of
multi-racialism.

But the statement by Keadilan  Youth
vice-chairman Mustapha  Kamil Ayub last
week must be disturbing to many.

At a ceramah in Johor, Mustapha 
announced that the opposition front 
would field only Malay candidates 
in the 155 Malay-majority parliamentary seats.

It is uncertain whether Mustapha  was
playing to the gallery of mainly Malays, or whether it was merely his personal
view.

The impression given so far has  been
that PAS will contest in Malay-majority areas and Keadilan in  the racially-mixed areas.

The DAP will contest in about 25  Chinese
majority areas. Certainly,  the DAP does
not have that many  Malay
candidates.

The announcement is disturbing  because
Mustapha seems to have  ignored the
concept of power sharing among the various races.

Although the Barisan Nasional is  made up
of 14 component parties,  including
communal-based parties  such as Umno, MCA
and MIC, the  coalition has been imbued
with an  overall sense of responsibility
towards Malaysians of all races.

Umno, for example, has proven  itself to
be moderate by allowing  non-Malays to
contest in Malay majority parliamentary constituencies.

In Kelantan, the Barisan allowed  MCA
candidate Leong Sue Siang to  contest in
Kota Lama, a state constituency with more than 58% Malay voters.

In Perlis, MCA's Loh Yoon Foo  contested
and won the Titi Tinggi  state seat with
a 72.7% Malay electorate.

Another MCA candidate, Wong  Foon Meng,
won the Bandar state  seat in Terengganu
which had a  60.5% Malay
electorate.

There are many such cases involving parliamentary seats as well  where non-Malay candidates are  fielded, where Umno could have  won easily.

The Umno leadership has refused to give in to pressures from  ambitious grassroots leaders in  many cases.

Mustapha's communal appeal  should be
rejected by all moderate  Malays because
if Malays rise to  such extremism, the
participation  of non-Malays in
government could  be wiped out.

The Indians, for example, would  have no
place to contest because  there are no
Indian-majority parliamentary constituencies.

If race is a criterion, then Indians should get 20 of the 192 parliamentary
seats.

The reality is that there is not a 
single Indian-majority constituency, but the MIC was allocated seven
seats in Malay-majority areas  through
the generosity of Umno.

If Keadilan wants to be a viable 
alternative to the Barisan, it must 
be prepared to field non-Malays in 
Malay-majority areas, held by the 
MCA, MIC or Gerakan.

Being accommodating and moderate is part of multi-racial politics.

Racial populist support is not  good governance
and is certainly  not a component of a
plural society.

The communal stance taken by  some
Keadilan and PAS leaders, of  late,
appears to be a result of these  parties
giving up their hope of winning mass non-Malay suppprt.

Thus, there was a statement by a  PAS
leader recently that Malays  must reject
Barisan because the  Barisan has only one
Malay party  against 13 non-Malay
components.

Keadilan has good potential. It  must not
ignore long-term political  struggles for
narrow political wins  as this will
tarnish its image.

Its line-up of non-Malay leaders  should
not be mere tokenism as  some of them,
particularly those  involved in
non-governmental organisations, have had a good record  of being non-communal.

Keadilan's present lack of direction is a result of a mixed bag of  leaders with different dreams and  different goals.

The only thing they have in common is their hatred of Datuk Seri  Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

It is thus prepared to work with  the
orthodox PAS which is, at least,  clear
with what it has to offer to 
Malaysians  it wants to set up
an  Islamic state and take over the  prime ministership as well.

The DAP is caught in a tight spot.  It
has to work with other opposition 
parties but is quite uncertain of the 
mood of the Chinese, its core support.

It has thus taken a gamble.

The Chinese community remains  highly
suspicious of PAS. Kelantan  Mentri Besar
Datuk Abdul Nik Aziz  Nik Mat's recent
emphasis that ulamas are the best people to run Malaysia isn't going to help
win votes.

Multi-racial politics has always  been
complicated. A multi-racial  party is not
guaranteed that it will  have
multi-racial appeal.

There are parties that allow all  ethnic
groups to be members but  because they
are dominated by one  racial group, they
tend to champion  only the interest of
the dominant  race in the party.

The Barisan, while represented  by some
communalparties, has  been able to stay
above racial  grounds.

It is, perhaps, easier and politically correct for MCA leaders, for  example, to talk about Chinese  schools and culture.

Similarly it would be more pleasant for Umno to take the lead in a  discussion on loafing Malay youths.

Conventional wisdom, which  takes into
account political, cultural and social sensitivities, has enabled the Barisan
component parties to function effectively.

Leaders should realise that an effective government, whether at  state or federal level, should have  elected representatives from all  races.

It would be disastrous for any  ethnic
group to be left out of government.

Politicians must never forget  that it is
easy to be leader of a particular race but difficult to be leader of all
Malaysians.

The test in the coming elections  will be
whether Keadilan or PAS is  prepared to
field non-Malays in  Malay-majority areas
in Kelantan,  Terengganu and
Perlis.