The Wrong Mentality
Barisan Nasional (BN) seems to have the wrong mentality when it comes to by-elections. This is despite the fact they have been in power ever since Malaya achieved its independence. BN approaches by-elections with the “vote for me and I’ll do this for you” mentality
Amongst others, BN promised to settle the problem of Tamil schools in Teluk Intan, as well as to give Rela members new uniforms IF and ONLY IF BN’s candidate (Mah) wins the by-election.
When Penang wanted to build a Tamil secondary school, BN opposed it. However, just for the sake of garnering Indian votes in Teluk Intan, BN are willing to fork out money to deal with issues plaguing the Tamil schools in the constituency
The Deputy Minister of Education II had the guts to say, “Jika BN menang, sudah pasti segala masalah dapat diatasi dengan segera.” What is BN implying? That if they lose, despite being the ruling coalition, they are unable to help the Tamil schools in Teluk Intan?
If BN was sincere about helping the people of Teluk Intan, they would have done so a long time ago. As cliche as it sounds, “actions speak louder than words”
Regarding the Rela uniforms, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi said, “If he (Mah) doesn’t win, you must buy it (the new Rela uniforms) yourself.” Could this amount to bribery? ‘Vote for BN and you’ll get a new uniform’. Or worst still, could it amount to a threat? ‘If you do not vote for us, you are paying for your own uniform’
Furthermore, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek (who is also our Minister of Communication and Multimedia) said that Teluk Intan’s broadband facilities could only be improved if the parliamentary seat was held by a BN representative.
He said that, “This (the improvement of Teluk Intan’s broadband facilities) is a good proposition and can only be realised if the candidate comes from the same party as the one that oversees the local authorities.” Anyone notice the trend? ‘Vote for us and we’ll do this for you. Don’t vote for us and we can’t do it’
I agree with Dyana Sofya (DAP candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election) when she said, “It doesn’t matter who wins this coming by-election, it is still the responsibility of the ministry to improve broadband speed in the area.” BN needs to get their priorities right. They serve the rakyat, not otherwise
The right way to approach a by-election is by capitalising on past performance. If BN has truly served the people in Teluk Intan despite not winning there the past 2 elections, they would have plenty to show for. ‘We have done so and so over the past few years. This is why we would best represent the people of this constituency’
This article can also be found at The Malay Mail Online
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