I positioned myself for the best view of the TV screen in one downtown mamak stall enjoying the ticker tape of elections results when I heard loud cheers from another long array of tables behind me, who seemed not to be watching the screen but their mobile phones. The results were known to them and as far as they were concerned, the elections are over. They left their tables early, an unusual happening during such nailbiting nights. For me, my oohs and aahs came many excruciating hours later. The recently concluded 12th Malaysian General Elections has brought in more surprises than anyone can bear, both sides included. Post mortems are now underway. Hypotheses are abound.
In such a chaotic scenery, I set foot to conduct my own private investigation. Well, since a winning party in Kedah, Perak and Selangor belongs to the Islamic Party PAS, which i left officially in 1995, i have to dig back some old name cards and phone bills to locate some feeler to get me up to date. I first rang up Suhaimi Said, a long time social activist who has jumped from the ruling malay party UMNO to a socialist party and then the islamic party and then back to square one and so forth.
"Duan! Come back!" his clear still youthful voice rang out. He was asking me to come back into politics and join the strongest opposition faction this time around which is the Justice Party (Keadilan) headed by the ex-deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim.
"But i just want to know why the huge loss!" I rang back. I am already retired from the ding dong politics for now, no thank you.
"Well, you do not have to be back in PAS if that doesn't fit your cup of tea. This Keadilan is a multi-racial one. People want an alternative to the ruling multi-racial front and Keadilan is it".
Not wishing to stick my ears with more lobbying rather than factual accounts i rang a ruling Umno stronghold cell that fell to the opposition in Shah Alam.
"Azmi, what happened to the Malays? It was all so quiet. How come no one knew this is coming?"
"Duan, we re all fed up. We do not like Pak Lah (the Prime Minister) at all. We have been like that for a long time. Its not just the price of oil and food. It is their arrogance. The Malays just want to teach those leaders a lesson."
"So you mean to say that previously with even worst problems of rising cost and bad leaders which it never happened, and now it just happened? No one told me so back then. They always say the Malays are loyal. So what really makes it snap this time? Is it Anwar?"
"No, no, not so much with Anwar. It is pure fed-up with those idiots running our nation. What is this junk they trying to feed us with? Northern corridor bull, eastern corridor bull. All copy and paste from Mahathir's time. He is not like Mahathir. He has no idea."
More preplexed, i have to sit in front of another old friend from PAS who is a constant writer and now blogger.
"Well Duan. Frankly i am at a lost myself. I really do not understand the elections results at all. If there is a mood swing. How come its intact and even increased margins for certain Umno places? Perhaps its an internal feud right up to the ex Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir who has been lambasting this present PM for some time. His son, Mukhriz was thrown to a shark infested place while other young punks in UMNO got safe seats. Now the sharks spared Mukhriz and bitten those punks instead. Serve them right."
Hmm, this sounded more analytical. Then i rang a state head of the Malay Chamber of Commerce and he came back with this, "Duan, its due to 2 big issues. One is Khairy, the son-in-law of the PM. Second is Islam Hadhari".
"I can accept the first one. I mean yep Khairy is bit too young and placing his turks all over does hurts many old toes, but Islam as an issue in parochial UMNO? I thought Islam is issue among opposition. We re talking Umno voters themselves getting their ballot papers reversed here."
"We already told the PM. But he is stubborn. He acknowledges but does nothing."
"So last question. Is he going down?"
"Nah, i think he is driving through. Bit shaky but should survive."
Still bit shaken but not stirred, I headed to someone (Malik Husin) who has followed in my trail into Umno in 1995, somewhat coincidently we not been together that election season chosed to switch camps from PAS to UMNO on our own separate accord. I eventually left politics all together when nobody in UMNO really gave me any tasks, and the Reformasi movement by Anwar send a signal up my brain that, this is enough. No more ding dong. Politics is getting dirty as usual. But for this other guy, he was close with Anwar and soon played an important think tank role on the ground, ending up been detained as well. Now he runs a highly critical NGO called Mafrel, that watches the elections process to ensure its fairness. In doing so, he is quite close to both sides.
"Duan, the elections process is a headache. Those forms 14, 15, 16 are not easy to be issued. The opposition alternative media can publish faster. But without those forms you cannot form the next government. You cannot just walk into the Sultan's palace grinning without any papers."
"Yes Malik, but what is the real cause of the swing?"
"In my opinion i think this time UMNO was too confident and committed political hara kiri when they focused on retaking the east coast, leaving the west coast undefended."
My last call was on a UMNO state information secretary. For health reasons his identity cannot be revealed at this time.
"Duan, *coughs*, i think Khairy is still strong. *coughs* So you better rethink about reactiviating your UMNO membership and support him. *coughs*coughs*"
"Yes, bro, but isn't there a second wave now? This Mukhriz has called on PM to resign and i hear heavy storm ahead for the party elections soon. Many may nominate his deputy, Najib to take over."
"Yeah, but this Khairy is different. Don't look at the fact that he married PM's daughter. He is Oxford material. I studied him. He is becoming an institution. He may survive. Let's see what people are really made off".
On my long drive back home, i kept making calls to others. Some say the 2nd wave is serious since they themselves didn't get any projects from this regime. Some say the Malays will suffer more, now that the traditional DAP is really rejuvenated as a formidable opposition in its own right, now taking control of the northern Penang, it is rearing its anti affirmative action head.
Whatever it is, it is always a case of leadership, irrespective of authority of it. Clear leadership must rise from the people, and its best to be more balanced and moderate rather than thriving in extremities. Remember, remember, for those who are as old or older than i am. For those who are younger i do fear. For they remember not.