A Bridge too far?

Permatang Pasir- a bridge too far?

On Tuesday, 25^th of August, the people of Permatang Pasir will go to the polls. They will decide which party they want as wakil rakyat. I join all UMNO members in saluting the brave UMNO people for campaigning tirelessly. They have carried a heavy burden perhaps one that is beyond their capacity. The Pemuda UMNO must be cited for their single mindedness in their efforts.

Unfortunately like the allied armies sent to capture several bridges in German occupied territories, Permatang Pasir may be the bridge at the lower Rhine. Permatang Pasir may be like what British Lieutenant-General Frederick A.M. Browning, deputy commander of the First Allied Airborne Army, who told Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, the operation's architect, before the operation, "I THINK WE MAY BE GOING A BRIDGE TOO FAR.

What UMNO has done thus far, is similar to what a Pasar Malam trader is doing. They want to pass on the fake article as the original. Or they want to sell a defective good for the price of a wholesome product. Hence a large proportion of their untiring and relentless efforts were directed at defending their candidate. The 'turning over' of the ex law partner of Rohaizat serves only to stiffen people's perception, that it's all an UMNO BIG LIE.

The people of Permatang Pasir will decide on the basis of individual judgement calls. It is true; they have lived under the wakil-rakyatship of a PAS man for more than 10 years. They have adjusted to whatever development they could have under that stewardship. While they lived during those years under PAS, Penang was ruled by Gerakan and the Federal government was BN. Permatang Pasir should have been made an anak emas during all those years, if BN and Gerakan wanted to cultivate goodwill. It is just too tricky to be converted to an anak emas after years of being anak tiri-ed. Has the father owned up to the abandoned wife with his child?

Suddenly the people of PP are flooded with promises to make PP an anak emas. Will they be given the golden spoon to feed themselves? Will Nuri helicopters or even the Super Pumas be used to drop money from the sky for Permatang Pasir people?

You are back to the same arguments about bringing development on behalf of the people. The people of PP have self cultivated themselves under a climate of less dependence on big government all those years, I don't think, they will want to sacrifice their freedom. As far as UMNO is concerned, UMNO hasn't change its spots at all- still deluding themselves that it is THEY who are the dispenser of glad tidings.

The answer as to who will win Permatang Pasir has been given by Rais Yatim. He says he is confident that PAS majority will be reduced. That's about as far as he is willing to go.