Further lessons from Hulu Selangor

 

I want to expand on some of the points raised in the last article. Hulu Selangor showed us many things. It was basically an UMNO affair. The Indian chap who has since become an MP was carried by UMNO. MIC effectively disowned him. He could have suffered the fate of Mugilan. Can you imagine, the MIC president in an attempt to stop Mugilan from being chosen as candidate, decided to expel him. The poor chap is not a member of any political party. He is a political persona non grata.

Why did Samy Velu and his gang of political gangsters do that? It was an expression of utter defiance to UMNO who had dared interfere in HIS fiefdom. It was also to serve as explicit signals to other MIC chaps, that, though no longer a minister, he, Samy Velu is still Sivaji.

What happened after that? Samy still couldn't get Palani in and was willing to accept or was forced to accept Kamalanathan as a sort of 2^nd best solution. If he can't have Palani, UMNO can't have Mugilan. Samy wasn't about to concede in terms of brinkmanship and so on the eve of nominating the candidate, held an emergency meeting and probably presented an idea to even pull out of the BN.

We wish the threat had been carried out and that would give the PM the perfect excuse to rationalize the strange appointments of MIC MPs to government position. I mean, how can we explain a party which has only 3 seats in Parliament, which secured a mere 180,000 votes in the 2008 GE out of 7.9 votes be given 3 government appointments? And possibly, Palanivel who is allowed a reprieve to lick his wounded pride will also be given a government post. I can only speculate the decision to do so must be the delirious effect of rasem and tairu induced meal.

MCA under the leadership of CSL failed to mobilize Chinese support. The number of Chinese supporting BN during this by election was smaller than the number who voted in the 2008 General Election. That means, MCA is politically impotent. To cover up its own mistakes, it blamed Perkasa for spooking the Chinese into embracing DAP. The MCA has 15 seats in Parliament and in the 2008 GE took home 840,000 votes.

It is the 2^nd biggest partner in the BN coalition but in the recent Hulu Selangor election its dangerously taking the route of a spent force. Maybe it is- having gone through internecine wars within its own turf. It has a senior ministerial position whose holder to office lost the presidency of MCA recently. The current MCA president is outside the cabinet. Being a leader of his party, he should be given a cabinet position.

The near impotency of MCA in the Hulu Selangor election has proven to us, that it is possible for UMNO/BN to bypass the MCA leadership and engage Chinese voters directly. Please note- I am not talking about sidelining the Chinese voters and community yes- I am saying we mustn't be unduly burdened with pleasing the MCA leadership.

We learnt this about the Chinese in Hulu Selangor. They are just being pragmatists, pursuing what they want actually. Knowing what they want benefits us because we can play their game. We know, the Chinese, as a whole, in their capacity as political actors have perfected the saying hunting with the hounds and running with hare, into an art form.

From the MCA they put pressure on the government to get as many concessions and benefits they want- citizenship, business opportunities, assurance about the future and so forth. But come elections, the vote for DAP- something they also want as insurance. So what they want- assurance and insurance, they get both by playing the art of running with hare and hunting with the hounds.

I am beginning to think- whichever way they move, in the end of the day they gain. They gain in the sense they can get to do as they want. MCA will pressure the BN to get as many benefits as possible for the Chinese community. They want that. Schools, roads, licenses, etc. When it comes to elections, they chose DAP. They get what they also want - to thump the nose of UMNO and BN and vote for a party they know is more disciplined than MCA and will be resolute with Chinese demands.

Here is an opportunity for the PM to play a new and different ball game. We can engage Malaysian Indians and Chinese directly without having to be buffered by their belligerent leadership. The PM doesn't have to be everything to everyone any longer. He can for instance review cabinet appointments for MIC and MCA leaders.