"Just as Barisan Nasional had accepted the results of last year’s general election, Pakatan Rakyat must now accept a new government in Perak."
Except that the Barisan Nasional lost Perak through the election process, whereas Pakatan Rakyat lost it through the defections of allegedly corrupt politicians.
It is not, however, a surprising thing for us Sabahans—we've all experienced it a little over 10 years ago. And many of us, seeing the slim majority held by the Pakatan in Perak, knew that it was just a matter of time before Barisan, sooner or later, gets back into the driver's seat.
Money talks; bullshit walks.
But of course according to the Deputy Prime Minister, the defectors joined Barisan on their own accord—no inducements have been offered to them.
Inducements or not, it seems a bit cheap to seize control by means of defections, as opposed to the election process. And in order to be back in control, Barisan had no choice but to accept defectors who are still up for trial to defend themselves against corruption charges, the bribes of which were in the forms of sexual gifts. Now that these people are in the Barisan camp, it remains to be seen whether they will eventually see a day in court, let alone the prison.
Now this thing about defections of elected representatives is a big thing. Obviously, Barisan saw that coming. If they had a choice it would have been ideal to regain control of Perak without relying on the defectors. But it's been almost a year since the General Election of 2008. Trying to force a fresh election in Perak did not seem to be a promising strategy based on the results of several by-elections which have since taken place in other areas after the General Election.
Therefore, the only logical way to play the game was by means of defections. But first the preparation of an excuse—the setting up of the defection gambit. A scapegoat from Barisan shall first "defect" to the Pakatan. The Pakatan, in its excitement, fell for the trap. That's what can happen when one fails to think before he leaps. And then a few days after the scapegoat's dramatic announcement, he defected back to Barisan together with some others, thus tipping the scale in favour of the Barisan.
Barisan is now in a position to say that if Pakatan can accept defectors, so can Barisan; that it was Pakatan who started it.
And so, the Perak Pakatan is checkmated...
3 comments:
from the Battle of Shiloh, during the American Civil War:
The evening of April 6 was a dispiriting end to the first day of one of the bloodiest battles in U.S. history. The desperate screams of soldiers dying on the fields between the armies could be heard in the Union and Confederate camps throughout the night. A thunderstorm passed through the area and rhythmic shelling from the Union gunboats made the night a miserable experience for both sides.
A famous anecdote encapsulates Grant’s unflinching attitude to temporary setbacks and his tendency for offensive action. As the exhausted Confederate soldiers bedded down in the abandoned Union camps, Sherman encountered Grant under a tree, sheltering himself from the pouring rain. He was smoking one of his cigars while considering his losses and planning for the next day. Sherman remarked, “Well, Grant, we’ve had the devil’s own day, haven’t we?” Grant looked up. “Yes,” he replied, followed by a puff. “Yes. Lick ‘em tomorrow, though.“
To mate the opposition, perhaps one needs to sacrifice some lesser pieces.
Could these three unscrupulous people be doing undercover work to bring down the Alliance? Maybe I have been watching a Hollywood movie too many. Only time will tell.
If that is indeed the story, 2R1I, I'd be very surprised. It is true that sometimes we sacrifice minor pieces for the sake of gaining advantage(s), which can hopefully lead to mating the opponent in the end. But the kind of "sacrifice" we're seeing here, if it's a sacrifice at all, has led to the loss of Perak.
And what's more, I can't see how Perak can be won back until the next GE. That's like sacrificing the Queen without a forced mate in sight.
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