Opposition parties should learn to accept defeat

Opposition parties should learn to accept defeat

V.K. Chin
The Star
Asia News Network
Selangor, Malaysia

The opposition must be dreaming if it feels it can overturn
the results of the 2004 general election, which was won by a
landslide by the Barisan Nasional coalition.

Two of the biggest losers in the election, PAS and Keadilan,
are conducting road shows throughout the country in the hope that
the 11th election on March 21 will be declared null and void.

The sad truth is that these opposition groups are still in
denial and could not accept the fact that the people had rejected
them. It is time for them to face reality and take the loss on
the chin.

They should accept the situation in the right spirit and not
display their immaturity as such behavior will do their
reputation and image little good. If they should blame the
Election Commission for their own debacle, then they might be
barking up the wrong tree.

There might have been some hiccups in the implementation
process by some election officials but this was due to the non-
compliance of the procedures rather than the fault of the
commission itself.
In any case, the incidents occurred in isolated areas and not a
national trend. The commission has proposed the setting up of an
independent panel to conduct an in-depth study of the process to
determine the causes of some of the mix-ups.

What the opposition parties could not accept was the defeats
suffered by their candidates in both the parliamentary and state
constituencies.

If there should be serious electoral irregularities, then the
Barisan would have a complete sweep. While PAS had lost control
of Terengganu, it had managed to retain control of the Kelantan
state government though by the narrowest of margin.

The opposition, especially PAS, should accept defeat with good
grace like the Barisan did in the 1999 general election. The
Barisan did not cry foul just because it was decisively thrown
out of Terengganu.

Instead of looking for a scapegoat for its loss, the coalition
accepted the wish of the people and continued to work hard to
regain the confidence and support of the voters in the state and
elsewhere.

This pragmatic approach had paid handsome dividends as the
Barisan was able to return the favor to PAS by taking back
Terengganu and routing PAS candidates in other states.

It is better for PAS to realize that the people had enough of
its brand of politics and were prepared to support only the
political party which could bring them economic development and a
better way of life.

Instead of sulking, the opposition parties should take a leaf
from the Barisan and continue to work hard to regain the people's
support. Going on road shows is therefore a waste of time and
energy, which could be better spent doing something positive and
constructive for the good of the people.