Why did BN lose so badly?
We could all guess the reasons.
But why not listen to what other people have to say?
UMNO publicity chief Mohd Taib: "Of course he won. Permatang Pauh is his place, and the seat was vacated by his wife. We were the underdogs, and it's inevitable that we lost."
(What a publicity chief. Even such an excuse could have come out from his mouth.)
Pro-UMNO website Agenda Daily: "Anwar is not that great, only that luck was not on Arif's side. If the 447 spoilt votes, plus Hanafi's 92, all went to BN, plus 857 more voters casting their votes in favour of BN, then Anwar's majority would not have been 15,617, perhaps less than Wan Azizah's. Then, he could not claim that he has won."
(Another spectacular reason has been offered.)
Mahathir (this one is really interesting): "Permatang Pauh voters did not intend to vote for Anwar, but were worried that if they voted for Arif Shah, then BN would claim the victory, and Abdullah would say voting for BN was a vote of confidence for him, and that would be his personal triumph."
"So the voters went for Anwar, because they wanted Pak Lah to realise that he was no longer popular."
(Now then I know how Permatang Pauh voters have been thinking.)
After the defeat, all kinds of excuses and accusations have surfaced.
UMNO leaders don't seem to have woken up from their sleep. They thought it was just a nightmare, and everything would be alright upon waking up.
So, they have forgotten all their experiences in Permatang Pauh over the past ten days. Well, defeat is normal, and should rightfully be so.
| "BN and UMNO's problems and weaknesses could only be addressed if they have learned to admit and accept their defeat, identify workable solutions, and implement the necessary reforms." |
Or perhaps, defeat is not because of our fault, or going further, we have never been defeated at all.
To get the "big brother" to bow down and accept its defeat, is pretty difficult. To get it to admit its mistakes, is next to impossible.
Because of such a mentality, UMNO has made no progress after the March general elections, instead, it has resorted to more aggressive tricks, thinking that by doing so it will not have done anything wrong, or has never been defeated at all.
The voters don't seem to accept that logic. They have the right to make their own decisions.
If BN leaders remain in their current hypnotic state, mobilise all their resources to bring down Anwar, or blow up racial issues, ignoring their obligations towards the people and nation, then more drastic disasters will be on the way.
Meanwhile, Pak Lah's major opponent outside the system--the Mahathir faction, is also trying to exploit BN's defeat in Permatang Pauh to shift the people's attention, pushing all the responsibilities to Pak Lah and his son-in-law, demanding that the PM resign ahead of his own timetable.
Of course, Abdullah has a responsibility, a major one indeed, but BN and UMNO's problems will not be totally resolved with the bowing out of Abdullah.
BN and UMNO's problems are the lack of a positive and healthy philosophy in running the country, its failure to establish a corruption-free political culture, and inability to meet the needs and demands of the society.
Their problems and weaknesses could only be addressed if they have learned to admit and accept their defeat, identify workable solutions, and implement the necessary reforms.
This is the best education Permatang Pauh has offered. (By TAY TIAN YAN/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)
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