The recent double whammy by the Barisan Nasional Government to retain handsomely Batu Sapi and wresting the state seat of Galas in Kelantan with such an unprecedented majority speaks volume of the overwhelming confidence of the component parties in BN that perhaps it is nearly time already for BN to go back to the Rakyat to knock off the living daylights of the opposition parties once and for all as they are alleging that it has been for far too long that the latter have been given so wide a platform to exercise their rights so much so that at times, abuses of such freedom did occur when it came to tit for tat kind of verbal confrontation between the parties thereto.
Except for the Prime Minister, I suppose it is not wrong to say that buoyed by the recent double victories, everyone else is predicting that the 13th General Election would be called much sooner than later. So much so that I for one is also tempted to say that the Prime Minister might just be contemplating with such a possibility.
However, there is always two sides of the same coin which is getting the transformation process underway and in the process making the people to feel good is a valuable consideration which the Prime Minister had to bargain for. A half-baked cake may not be the proper treatment for the peoples’ current ailment and to suggest that the BN’s double victories in Batu Sapi and Galas could be a significant reflection of the peoples’ heartbeat in the country right now would not be entirely true.
Be as it may, I am quite sure that after about two years of hard work, it is fair to say that the Prime Minister had achieved quite a lot in bringing back the confidence of the people at large despite hiccups along the way. However, it is also fair to say that the Prime Minister’s success may not be that significant to say the least had it not been for the persistent contributions from members of the opposition parties in making the BN Government to always be on the alert lest they would be mistaken for deadwood.
The question now is whether we are going to face an early general election or not? My take is that the 13th General Election will not be called as yet until and unless the PM is really satisfied that the component parties in Sarawak are ready and able to win in the impending Sarawak State election which must be called before July 2011. If that is the case, most probable than not the 13th General Election will be held together with the Sarawak State Election sometimes in May 2011 as I believe the prevailing political climate favours the Prime Minister to seek a fresh mandate by dissolving Parliament since there are so many positive developments around that could give the BN government the edge — the Government Transformation Programme, the National Economic Transformation Programme, the disarray in the opposition and, as Batu Sapi and Galas have shown, an improved support towards BN.
But then again, there will be a catch, would the opposition-held states follow in advising their Malay Rulers and TYT to dissolve their respective state assemblies as there is no provision in their state constitutions to prohibit them from holding a separate state general elections because as a matter of political strategy, it will enable the opposition parties to focus and utilise their resources better and therefore, improve their chances of winning.
So I say if it does happen, it will definitely complicate the prevailing political scenario. In the end, it will not be good for the people at large. Who is to blame? I leave it to you Folks to ponder…
Cheers!
Mtdurasim's Blog 