DAP Penang must be ready and prepared to be in the vanguard of this “Battle Royale”, which will decide whether Malaysia is to preserve and sustain its 45-year Social Contract enshrined in the fundamental constitutional principle and nation-building cornerstone as a democratic, secular, multi-religious, tolerant and progressive nation or jettison it and embark on the road to reshape Malaysia as an Islamic state, whether ala-UMNO or ala-PAS.
The September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington have greatly changed the political landscape of Malaysia, just as it has done globally for every country.
The 911 terrorist attacks is a boon to incumbents in government, especially authoritarian regimes to justify their undemocratic and repressive laws as well as to introduce even more draconian legislation and policies to further clamp down on democracy and human rights which have nothing to do with the war against terrorism – and the Malaysian government is no exception.
From now till the next general elections, the Barisan Nasional will play to the full the two 911 trump cards, firstly, to conduct a “terror” election campaign which would make the past May 13 scare tactics trotted out in every general election campaign pale into insignificance; and secondly, to create fear of PAS Islamic state as equivalent of a Taliban Malaysia, which the nightly 90-second Barisan Nasional propaganda footage camouflaged as prime-time news over national television for over three weeks before the Indera Kayangan by-election was mere rehearsal.
Come polling day in the next general elections, the Barisan Nasional would want to dragoon Malaysian voters to believe that their votes are important to decide two critical issues in the country - to ensure that the September 11 terror events cannot happen in Malaysia by giving greater support to Dr. Mahathir and the Barisan Nasional and to reject PAS’ Islamic State in favour of UMNO’s Islamic State.
Both are false choices but is the DAP Penang prepared for the “Battle Royale” to reach and convince the voters that they are false choices?
(23/1/2002)