Johore Baru – “In the past, around the world, there can be a nation where only one coalition ruled, and the opposition parties never got a chance to govern. Now, the dynamics of politics has been transforming over the years and a nation’s power-shift is no more a surprise. For Malaysia, once the people rose to their power and changed the old-time regime last year in the 14th General Election, they know they can do it again, and they used their power at the recent Tanjung Piai by-election” Dr S.Ramakrishnan said in a press statement.
“Gone were the days where the people did not even dare to even think of toppling the government as they did not fully understand the impact of each of their votes. Welcome to the New Malaysia. This is where the people know they are the ones truly in power, and they are at liberty to choose which party or coalition should work to fulfill their needs. Once the elected does not govern and perform to their expectations, off you go, and they will elect a new one in the next upcoming opportunity” said Ramakrishnan, who is also the State Assemblyman for Bekok and Chairman of
Unity, Domestic Trade And Consumer Affairs Committee of the Johor State government.
“During the Tanjung Piai by-elections, the votes that went to Barisan Nasional (BN), was not to show support to them, but rather they were votes of dissatisfaction towards Pakatan Harapan (PH). While this may be a shocker to many, this occurrence is something very normal that has been happening in democratic countries – take India, Taiwan, Japan, Mexico and more for example. These countries had a major shift of power when the long-reigning party or coalition lost and were replaced by the opposition parties and coalitions” Ramakrishnan noted in his statement.
“The new government, an amalgamation of parties who were only united to win the elections, had very few issues that they could agree on collectively. Not being properly united and still bickering with each other, these new governments suffered major defeats to the previous coalition in the by-elections that happened after. That was exactly what happened at Tanjung Piai. The cause for the voters’ change of heart were similar – national, local, and bread and butter issues. Among the national issues that irked the people were the introduction of Khat classes in school, the immense support given to and refusal to repatriate the wanted Indian fugitive Zakir Naik, false branding locals as terrorists linked to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and more” Ramakrishnan further noted.
“Locally, at Tanjung Piai, the world economic slowdown; the price of palm oil; difficulty in getting foreign workers in oil palm estates, fisheries and local industries are among the issues that made the locals turn against PH. We must give credit to our opponent as they were much more organised than us, knew the grassroots issues and were very focused on the target group. Despite BN being a corrupted party with their many top leaders with ongoing court cases, the people still voted for them. This is why we must focus on the bread and butter issues, cost of living, and ease of doing business. These are the areas they want help in” said Ramakrishnan.
“The previous government can never be said as gone from the arena after losing in the General Elections. It totally depends on the new government, on how they perform. If the new government performs well, the old regime would be as good as forgotten. But if the new government is insensitive to the people’s needs, the old regime will still be a force to reckon. This is what was repeated in the many democratic countries, and now Malaysia. At the end of the day, all the people want is for their needs to be met. The one party or coalition who is able to prove that they can get the job done, will win the people’s heart. Now, PH has to win the people’s heart back by making visible and landmark changes” Ramakrishnan noted.
“Sometimes it is unfair as we have only been in power for a short time, and we are expected to undo many problems started by the previous government. The reality is that this excuse is not accepted by the people. We must see it from the voters point of view, walk in their shoes. They have been under duress for a long time and all they want is a solution, not excuses” Ramakrishnan concluded in his statement.
