Jed’s back writing!

Jed Yoong, the twenty plus young DAP woman who was the editor (English edition) of the DAP’s mouth piece, Rocket, is back in the news again. Her article was published in the Star (www.thestar.com.my) today, under ‘Letters’ about her analysis and PKR’s ability to self audit its own strength and what is working for them, after the humiliating defeat in Ijok.

Opinion

Friday May 4, 2007

PKR should find out why it lost

THE Opposition’s lament about electoral fraud, intimidation and violence is even more tiring than a broken record.

Especially so after losing in the recent state assembly by-election in Ijok.

As usual upon defeat, the Opposition will cry “foul” and point to a “dirty election” but when they win, they are strangely silent.

Why not cry foul after Lunas or in Permatang Pauh, where Parti Keadilan Rakyat president and only Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail retained her seat after a recount.

All the allegations about the Barisan Nasional (BN) using government resources, “importing” phantom voters and using police intimidation to win elections are nothing new.

PKR must now face the fact that it lost the Ijok by-election because it failed to secure the Indian votes which consist of about 3,000 or 28% of total votes.

If it had received just 30% of these, this would translate into 1,000 more votes for PKR.

BN was able to secure solid backing from the community after MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu went down to the ground to campaign door-to-door twice.

Of course, there were the free sewing machines and 800 land titles but PKR should look beyond these and ask why they failed to get any Indian vote; the other communities were similarly “pampered” by the BN and yet they voted for PKR.

I was there for most of the campaign period and witnessed the hooliganism on nomination day.

To solely blame BN for violence is inaccurate for PKR supporters shouted insults directed at Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin and at Umno Youth chief and Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

Throughout the campaign period, PKR supporters displayed an inclination for provocation and violence, such as stopping Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s car on polling day and taking the law into their own hands to “arrest” alleged phantom voters on board two buses.

Those who claim to fight for the rule of law should respect the law.

PKR has also been calling BN a racist party, but in Ijok the BN proved that it believes in power-sharing and supported an Indian candidate despite calls from Umno for a Malay candidate in the Malay-majority constituency.

The different component parties also worked together with a single cohesive ideology to secure victory.

The Opposition is still swimming about in a pool of conflicting ideologies – DAP fights for a secular state, PAS for an Islamic state and PKR for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

For them, the battle for Ijok somehow became a battle between Anwar and Najib.

Then somewhere along the line, to secure Chinese votes, Anwar proclaims wo me do ze yi jia ren (we are now one family) to the Chinese and supports vernacular education.

But what alternative would PKR be offering in terms of government; and to Ijokians, how their lives would be better with PKR in the state assembly?

So instead of crying foul over the “dirty electoral process”, PKR should take a good hard look at why it failed to win the Ijok by-election.

JED YOONG,
Kuala Lumpur.

Jed is critical of PKR’s attitude and policies addressing Ijok and her analysis of election strategies and failed working relationships amongst the Oppositions.

She created some fuss amongst DAP members with her blog, Freelunch 2020 (now closed) because of her published her thoughts and support against the Chinese vernacular school. Her integrity as the Rocket Editor was opposed by some DAP supporters who read her blogs.

Nice to see Jed back in the thinking and writing mode. Well done, Jed Yoong!