Manek Urai- Congratulations to UMNO!

Congratulations are in order. Not to PAS but to UMNO. Its ground troops have done sterling work. Tok Pa and the UMNO divisional leaders, KJ and his Pemuda, Wanita UMNO, Puteri have all rallied for a common cause- to win in a PAS stronghold. By reducing the PAS majority, UMNO has dealt PAS a devastating blow.

Pas won the by-election in Manek Urai by 65 votes. The other way to look at it, UMNO won over 1000 votes it lost to the previous late PAS ADUN. The more appropriate question to ask is not why can't UMNO win in a Malay heartland but why has PAS lost much of its territory? UMNO has every reason to be jubilant and PAS has every reason to worry. Why has over 1000 people who previously supported PAS abandoned the party?

Husam Musa will say the expected; that this Manek Urai is a buy-election. UMNO buys the votes from the voters. How else can he explain the dismal showing of PAS? He has to say this to stay relevant.

PAS leadership now has grounds to inquire what the PAS machinery in Kelantan has been doing. It has not be able to retain its support can only suggest that it has ignored the people of Manek Urai.

The near loss of PAS in its stronghold reflects the dissatisfaction of people on some of the stand taken by the Kelantan PAS leadership. For example, this near loss can be interpreted as an explicit message that TG Nik Aziz may have underestimated a desire to forge Malay unity. I too have been cynical about this unity talk, but its impossible to deny the facts. This near loss can also be seen as popular approval on the moves by the PAS faction leaning towards unity talks.

But more importantly to me, it is an indictment of the PAS government in Kelantan itself. If the more than 1000 PAS supporters went over to the UMNO side, it can only mean that people in Manek Urai are becoming more pragmatic. It's the end result that counts. They have finally realised that they no longer want to be poor on earth and only richer in the next world. They want a government which can deliver tangibles and not promises. That's temporal tangibles and not unfilled promises.

Suppose what Husam Musa says are true. People are gullible. They can be bought. Then, It can also mean, if the people are corruptible, the PAS machinery has not done its job converting the hoi polloi, the plebeians, the commoners, the 'heathens' to the PAS cause. It can also mean, that 5000 over people and the thousands more who came and heard Anwar Ibrahim speak, realised that Anwar is selling snake oil.

UMNO has come close to wiping out its deficit. The strong showing of UMNO in a Malay heartland shows that it is on the rebound. This tremendous boost can only suggest that the UMNO machinery is getting its act together. It must also mean that the prestige of PM Najib is becoming a factor resuscitating UMNO. It means that UMNO has a chance under Najib's leadership.

How do you explain the strong showing of UMNO here?

The fighting force has been doing a lot of work. Dato Mustapha Mohamad is seen as a serious man with the interest of the people at heart. The divisional UMNO machinery has been able to concentrate its efforts towards winning against a common political foe. If the younger generation has warmed up to UMNO, that can only indicate the good work carried out by Pemuda UMNO under the leadership of KJ.

The timing between the vacancy of the seat and the by election date has given UMNO troops sufficient time and space to carry out organised work on the ground. Next time UMNO wants to win, extend the nomination date as long as possible.

Finally there is the Najib factor here. He has the prestige and is gaining confidence of the people. The recent poll which indicated an increase of support from 40% to 65 percent reflects his growing stature and believability. He has shown his willingness to undo the 'legacies' of the old UMNO.

His willingness to abolish the 30% equity ruling which has not benefited the man in the street indicates that he has shifted priority away from the elite to the real man on the street. I may not agree to the reversal of teaching maths and science in Malay, but that decision, it seems has resonated well with the Malay psyche. The decision signals his readiness not to compromise on a strictly Malay interest. By doing that, PM Najib is showing that UMNO is once again championing Malay cause and UMNO has once again connected.