The Kajang Move – Right or wrong voters to decide with wisdom

Kajang by-election a mini national referendum 

The resignation of Kajang Assemblyman Lee Chin Cheh to pave way for PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim has created a great deal of debate and controversy in the media, the offices and in coffee shops all over. The Kajang Move as it is called was initiated by Anwar may even become the cause of his downfall if he loses the by-election, now scheduled for March 23, 2014 as many groups including Bersih and even some ardent supporter of Pakatan are unhappy with the forced by-election which they feel is an abuse of our parliamentary democracy and a waste of taxpayer’s money. 

The voters may not be happy with the way the way the Kajang Move was introduced, very suddenly and in secrecy, without prior consultation with people or even among top Pakatan leaders. They may be justified for being angry but they must listen to the reasons given for such a secretly rushed move. They must get to know the truth before deciding what to do next in the elections. In this regards, Anwar’s decision to go down to the people and meeting the voters to explain his controversial move should be commended. I for one do not believe Anwar would want to take such a big risk that could virtually ‘kill’ off his political future and even land in jail for life. In fact some of his senior allies in Pakatan have expressed the fear that Pakatan will be finished if Anwar loses the Kajang by-election. Thus this by-election will be a great test for Anwar, PKR and Pakatan. Why has Anwar embarked on such a dangerous move?

Since the13^th GE on May 5 last year many there have been many developments to bring the country to the present situation we are in today. The economy is slow, price of all basic commodities have gone up tremendously leading to an escalated cost of living, racial and religious tensions among the multiethnic population have risen to dangerous levels threatening the peace and harmony and rampant corruption continues to rob the nation of its wealth. These and many others have led to an uncertain future for all Malaysians.

Voters are normally denied access to the right channels to air their views especially if theirs are against the ruling party. The Kajang by-election gives them a rare opportunity to show their anger and their frustrations over the unfavorable state of our country and the performance of both BN and Pakatan over the last 10 months. They should treat the Kajang by-election as a referendum not only on the Selangor government but on the handling of important national issues confronting all especially social, economic and racial tensions.

   

The voters of Kajang cannot change the federal or state governments but they can make or break Anwar and his Pakatan in this election and thereby can indirectly cause the collapse of the Pakatan state government in Selangor and see the return of the BN. The Kajang voters have therefore very important decision to make on March 23, 2014 on behalf of all Malaysians. The choice is theirs but they must bear in mind they may be determining the future of all Malaysians.