The voters of Permatang Pauh have a historic opportunity to create a mini-political tsunami in the impending by-election with far-reaching impact to the national political landscape far exceeding the fate of an individual or a constituency.
The stakes involved in the Permatang Pauh by-election is not just about an individual and a constituency but the future of the Malaysian people and nation.
The issue in the Permatang Pauh by-election is not whether Pakatan Rakyat leader and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim can win but whether he can achieve a thumping and landslide victory with a majority bigger than the 13,388-vote majority won by PKR President Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in the March 8, 2008 general election.
If Anwar can win the Permatang Pauh by-election with an even greater majority won by Azizah five months ago, despite an even more massive onslaught by the whole weight of the Barisan Nasional juggernaut, it would have a special import in shaping the development of the Malaysian political landscape.
If the voters of Permatang Pauh can speak up on behalf of the people of Malaysia to express their disgust at the worsening political, economic and nation-building crisis in the past five months and send a clear and unmistakable message to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on the continuing loss of national confidence at his failure to learn the lessons of the March 8 “political tsunami’, then the Permatang Pauh by-election will assume a far-reaching national importance and not be about an individual or a constituency.
DAP is fully committed to ensure that the Permatang Pauh by-election can create a mini-political tsunami with far-reaching implications to the healthy democratic development of Malaysia.
I call on all Malaysian organisations and individuals to unite behind the banner of Pakatan Rakyat to ensure that Anwar not only wins the by-election but with an even greater majority of 13,388 votes won by Azizah on March 8 to make the Permatang Pauh by-election the most historic and important by-election in Malaysian history.
(Speech at the conference of Perak DAP State leaders, MPs, State Excos, State Assembly members and local councillors in Lumut on Sunday, 3rd August 2008 at 9 am)