interesting analysis on the recent elections by a local political analyst, especially on the power of the internet.
http://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/bnm/20080311/tts-election-dap-leadership-993ba14_1.html
PENANG, March 11 (Bernama) -- Amidst the euphoria in the aftermath of the general election, life goes on as usual here, with Penangites having their favourite roti canai and nasi kandar at roadside stalls. At each roadstall, you can hear groups of people having their own post-mortem of the just ended general election, and giving their own assessment on why things happened as they did, and what will happen next now that electorates have opted for the opposition to run the state. Lim Guan Eng, the secretary-general of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), which led the offensive in a bid to deny the Barisan Nasional its two-thirds majority, is seen as representing the voice of the people who want their voices heard. And 48-year old Guan Eng, like all other leaders in the party carry an image that they can be accepted by all irrespective of race, sporting t-shirts when they mingle with the man-in-the street. “The opposition had a bunch of street smart candidates. Although they are not good at platform speaking, they know how to mingle. Look at their press conferences, they are not dressed in suits, and they even rolled up their sleeves,” says a political analyst, Dr Baharuddin Aziz.
--MORE ELECTION-DAP 2 (LEADERSHIP) PENANG
He says street smart leaders do not have to spend their time meeting people at coffee houses at four or five star hotels, but all they need to do is be out there for the people and with the people. Dr Baharuddin, who is associate professor and principal lecturer of the centre for media and information warfare studies (CMIWS), in the faculty of communication and media studies, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), was here to collate information for a study on the media’s influence in the election. With the help of his students, he is currently conducting a study on the role and influence of the Internet on voters during the election, the outcome of which is expected to be known in a month’s time. “You have to be super good individuals to contest in Penang. They go down to the field, eat at the warong (stalls), and talk to the people at the pasar malam,” he says. According to Dr Baharuddin, the just concluded general election shows the power of the Internet, which had influenced the voters, especially the urban populace, noting that this is an urban phenomena. -- MORE
ELECTION-DAP (LEADERSHIP) 3 PENANG
Citing a 1999 survey, Dr Baharuddin says 85.2 percent of respondents said Internet will play a major role in general elections, adding that there is no doubt that young voters had been influenced by blogs. “It (the power of Internet) is a double-edge sword: it can be helpful, and can destroy. That was what happened in this general election, and the opposition knows the power of the Internet, and this has been reflected when several states lost to the opposition,” he adds. “The younger generation share views, chat and make comments on the Internet, and I have read some despicable chat on chat forums. I am inclined to believe, I may be wrong, the more frequent a person surfs the internet and blogs, the more tendency for him or her to vote for the opposition,” he says. The strong swing of voters towards the opposition, he says is also due to the unvarnished support of the mainstream media for the Barisan Nasional. “This is where, I think, the overkill by BN has worked against them, using the mainstream media for the election campaign. At least the media should strive to present both sides of the story. The Internet, he says, is another platform for watching tv, and what is not available in the mainstream media, people will look for alternative for ratification. -- MORE
ELECTION-DAP (LEADERSHIP) 4 PENANG
The pact between the DAP and the PKR has also been effective in convincing the people that the opposition was not a threat, and that was a success achieved by the opposition, he says. “In Penang, there were Malay voters also in some areas which gave their votes to the opposition. So, what we have here is a situation where the DAP is not seen as a threat. “They (the people) were willing to go along with other parties opposing the Barisan. People are inclined to say, ‘it’s okay to vote for DAP, you are not being punished or ostracised.’ “They were happy, so they voted for DAP and PKR. The threat is not there as it has been removed by the clever strategising of the opposition,” says Dr Baharuddin. The challenges ahead for the DAP and its partner PKR, he says, is how they would be able utilise or use the federal government facilities to help the rakyat, and he does not think the BN government would be so wicked as to remove all the channels, such as fire brigades and hospitals. “As it is, most of the facilities are owned by the federal government, and this would be a great challenge to them, how they would manoeuvre, and go about cleverly, maybe, surmounting this obstacle to utilise the facilities to help the rakyat. If they don’t have a strategy, then they would be in hot soup,” he says. -- MORE
ELECTION-DAP (LEADERSHIP) 5 PENANG
“But we must not write off the so called losers. Losers also garnered votes. They also have a say. Not all BN candidates are wiped out. “There is still a voice and they (losers) could still play a role. What’s important is if we premised our next course of action on the fact that there is a democratic process we have undertaken, then goodwill should prevail. The spirit of goodwill should prevail. I would like to see the DAP appointing a Deputy Chief Minister. The faster they decide on the deputy CM, the better and this helps to allay fears of the population. For the Chinese, they will look at it as a gesture of goodwill. For the Malays, it will help to calm down the apprehension. Some form of apprehension needs to be addressed. “They have to create a win-win situation. A formula has to be followed, premised on the gesture of goodwill, spirit of give and take. The DAP should give and take and appoint a a deputy Chief Minister,” he says. -- MORE
ELECTION-DAP (LEADERSHIP) 6 (LAST) PENANG
"Next generation of BN candidates must be street smart. Some people have not even seen their MP. They should be able to mingle with the people, having roti canai or nasi kandar at the mamak stalls. They should be with the ordinary rakyat," he says. “People are willing to forgive them (DAP) if they fumble (in the initial stage) as they have made their choice. They (the people) have to be resilient. But if the DAP fails miserablly, then they will only serve the people for one term,” he says. “Once the state administration in Penang is in place, he says, the DAP has to work together with the PKR in gaining support from the outside world for the sake of Penang’s economic development. They have to waltz with outsiders,” he adds. On projects like the second bridge, he says, there may be a postponement, much to the chagrin of the people. “I am inclined to believe they would have to do a re-evaluation what should be carried out and what should be put on hold. We cannot write off their (DAP) integrity. We have to be fair to them. Hope they will be fair to all. Please don’t renege on your words,” says Dr Baharuddin. In Saturday's general election, the DAP won 19 out of the 40 seats in the state assembly, while the PKR won nine seats, and PAS one seat to attain two-thirds majority in Penang.
-- BERNAMA SS HK FR
http://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/bnm/20080311/tts-election-dap-leadership-993ba14_1.html
PENANG, March 11 (Bernama) -- Amidst the euphoria in the aftermath of the general election, life goes on as usual here, with Penangites having their favourite roti canai and nasi kandar at roadside stalls. At each roadstall, you can hear groups of people having their own post-mortem of the just ended general election, and giving their own assessment on why things happened as they did, and what will happen next now that electorates have opted for the opposition to run the state. Lim Guan Eng, the secretary-general of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), which led the offensive in a bid to deny the Barisan Nasional its two-thirds majority, is seen as representing the voice of the people who want their voices heard. And 48-year old Guan Eng, like all other leaders in the party carry an image that they can be accepted by all irrespective of race, sporting t-shirts when they mingle with the man-in-the street. “The opposition had a bunch of street smart candidates. Although they are not good at platform speaking, they know how to mingle. Look at their press conferences, they are not dressed in suits, and they even rolled up their sleeves,” says a political analyst, Dr Baharuddin Aziz.
--MORE ELECTION-DAP 2 (LEADERSHIP) PENANG
He says street smart leaders do not have to spend their time meeting people at coffee houses at four or five star hotels, but all they need to do is be out there for the people and with the people. Dr Baharuddin, who is associate professor and principal lecturer of the centre for media and information warfare studies (CMIWS), in the faculty of communication and media studies, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), was here to collate information for a study on the media’s influence in the election. With the help of his students, he is currently conducting a study on the role and influence of the Internet on voters during the election, the outcome of which is expected to be known in a month’s time. “You have to be super good individuals to contest in Penang. They go down to the field, eat at the warong (stalls), and talk to the people at the pasar malam,” he says. According to Dr Baharuddin, the just concluded general election shows the power of the Internet, which had influenced the voters, especially the urban populace, noting that this is an urban phenomena. -- MORE
ELECTION-DAP (LEADERSHIP) 3 PENANG
Citing a 1999 survey, Dr Baharuddin says 85.2 percent of respondents said Internet will play a major role in general elections, adding that there is no doubt that young voters had been influenced by blogs. “It (the power of Internet) is a double-edge sword: it can be helpful, and can destroy. That was what happened in this general election, and the opposition knows the power of the Internet, and this has been reflected when several states lost to the opposition,” he adds. “The younger generation share views, chat and make comments on the Internet, and I have read some despicable chat on chat forums. I am inclined to believe, I may be wrong, the more frequent a person surfs the internet and blogs, the more tendency for him or her to vote for the opposition,” he says. The strong swing of voters towards the opposition, he says is also due to the unvarnished support of the mainstream media for the Barisan Nasional. “This is where, I think, the overkill by BN has worked against them, using the mainstream media for the election campaign. At least the media should strive to present both sides of the story. The Internet, he says, is another platform for watching tv, and what is not available in the mainstream media, people will look for alternative for ratification. -- MORE
ELECTION-DAP (LEADERSHIP) 4 PENANG
The pact between the DAP and the PKR has also been effective in convincing the people that the opposition was not a threat, and that was a success achieved by the opposition, he says. “In Penang, there were Malay voters also in some areas which gave their votes to the opposition. So, what we have here is a situation where the DAP is not seen as a threat. “They (the people) were willing to go along with other parties opposing the Barisan. People are inclined to say, ‘it’s okay to vote for DAP, you are not being punished or ostracised.’ “They were happy, so they voted for DAP and PKR. The threat is not there as it has been removed by the clever strategising of the opposition,” says Dr Baharuddin. The challenges ahead for the DAP and its partner PKR, he says, is how they would be able utilise or use the federal government facilities to help the rakyat, and he does not think the BN government would be so wicked as to remove all the channels, such as fire brigades and hospitals. “As it is, most of the facilities are owned by the federal government, and this would be a great challenge to them, how they would manoeuvre, and go about cleverly, maybe, surmounting this obstacle to utilise the facilities to help the rakyat. If they don’t have a strategy, then they would be in hot soup,” he says. -- MORE
ELECTION-DAP (LEADERSHIP) 5 PENANG
“But we must not write off the so called losers. Losers also garnered votes. They also have a say. Not all BN candidates are wiped out. “There is still a voice and they (losers) could still play a role. What’s important is if we premised our next course of action on the fact that there is a democratic process we have undertaken, then goodwill should prevail. The spirit of goodwill should prevail. I would like to see the DAP appointing a Deputy Chief Minister. The faster they decide on the deputy CM, the better and this helps to allay fears of the population. For the Chinese, they will look at it as a gesture of goodwill. For the Malays, it will help to calm down the apprehension. Some form of apprehension needs to be addressed. “They have to create a win-win situation. A formula has to be followed, premised on the gesture of goodwill, spirit of give and take. The DAP should give and take and appoint a a deputy Chief Minister,” he says. -- MORE
ELECTION-DAP (LEADERSHIP) 6 (LAST) PENANG
"Next generation of BN candidates must be street smart. Some people have not even seen their MP. They should be able to mingle with the people, having roti canai or nasi kandar at the mamak stalls. They should be with the ordinary rakyat," he says. “People are willing to forgive them (DAP) if they fumble (in the initial stage) as they have made their choice. They (the people) have to be resilient. But if the DAP fails miserablly, then they will only serve the people for one term,” he says. “Once the state administration in Penang is in place, he says, the DAP has to work together with the PKR in gaining support from the outside world for the sake of Penang’s economic development. They have to waltz with outsiders,” he adds. On projects like the second bridge, he says, there may be a postponement, much to the chagrin of the people. “I am inclined to believe they would have to do a re-evaluation what should be carried out and what should be put on hold. We cannot write off their (DAP) integrity. We have to be fair to them. Hope they will be fair to all. Please don’t renege on your words,” says Dr Baharuddin. In Saturday's general election, the DAP won 19 out of the 40 seats in the state assembly, while the PKR won nine seats, and PAS one seat to attain two-thirds majority in Penang.
-- BERNAMA SS HK FR
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