BN vs Opposition - Their best arguments for themselves and against the other

The following article was published in The Edge Financial Daily on February 20, 2008

In the United States there are political consultants who make a living advising political parties. Their messages are "politically incorrect" to put it mildly. But boy, are they effective. Just watch some of the American political attack ads on YouTube and you will understand what I mean.

For the Democrats, the most famous of the lot is James Carville, known as the "Ragin' Cajun", who gained national prominence as the lead strategist for Bill Clinton's successful presidential campaign. For the Republicans, it's Karl Rove, whom President George W. Bush affectionately calls "Turd Blossom".

Their nicknames alone should tell you what kind of personalities they are. Imagine if the Barisan Nasional and the Opposition here were to hire political consultants of such caliber to advise them for the upcoming general election. What arguments would someone the Ragin' Cajun or Turd Blossom offer?

BN's best argument for itself
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. We've been ruling this country for 50 years and we've done a pretty good job doing it. The opposition, NGOs and other disgruntled groups might complain about this and that but they're just nit-picking. Are people rioting in the streets killing each other? They do in many countries that have a potentially combustible mix of ethnic groups. In Malaysia, we live in peace and harmony, celebrating all kinds of festivities with open houses and so on. That didn't happen by accident, you know.

Sure, prices have gone up for some items but can you really say you have it bad? We still subsidize essential items. And yes, that includes petrol which, despite the price increases, is still among the cheapest in the region. The job market is healthy. The stock market is holding up quite well. And look at all these wonderful new economic corridors we're opening around the country. Bottom line is we can deliver and we have a track record to prove it.

BN's best argument against the opposition
Voting for the opposition will lead to instability. What do PAS, DAP and Keadilan have in common? One is a fundamentalist Islamic party, one is a Chinese-dominated secularist party and the last one is… well, it's neither here nor there. Is that what you want for your government? It's a recipe for disaster.

Just look at all the bickering leading up to the nominations day and compare that to the discipline shown by BN component parties. And this is not only inter-party but intra-party bickering that we're talking about. Notice how Fong Po Kuan got ousted from DAP Perak, not because Keadilan wanted her seat but because someone else in her own party coveted it. If the opposition can't even get its own house in order, how the heck do they expect to rule this country? Do you really want to roll the dice by voting Opposition? The future is in your hands.

Opposition's best argument for itself
Who's talking about ruling the country? Our aim is not to topple the government. What we want to do is deny the BN a two-thirds majority so that they can't change the constitution at will. It's all about checks and balances. A vibrant democracy requires healthy debate. Do you want a rubber stamp parliament? Or do you want more accountability? Only a strong opposition, with a brave voice in parliament, can give you that.

The diversity amongst the opposition parties is what gives us our strength. It ensures no one party dominates. We're more egalitarian and therefore more democratic. In contrast, the BN, though comprised of various ethnic-based parties, is actually dominated by UMNO. Everybody knows that and worse of all, the other component parties readily accept it. In the opposition, no one kowtows to anyone else. Yes, we have our differences and people know about it, but isn't that what democracy and transparency are all about?

Opposition's best argument against the BN
Pak Lah talks the talk but does he walk the walk? In 2004, he was positioned as being so revolutionary, he was practically the reformasi candidate. He vowed to stamp out corruption and asked people to tell him the truth even if it hurts. There would be increased transparency and accountability. "Work with me, not for me," he said. It was a very attractive message. The electorate chose to work with him by giving BN a whopping 92% control of parliament, breaking even his predecessor's record of political dominance.

But what did he do with that mandate? Four years on, has there been any significant change? Has Mr. Clean wiped out corruption and has Mr. Nice Guy given us more civil liberties? After receiving the biggest mandate in history, instead of forming his own team, Pak Lah retained much of his predecessor's cabinet members. Same team, new allegiance, business as usual. We never would have thought one day we'd quote Dr. M to make our point but he's spot on when he says, "There is no hope that UMNO can clean itself from within". The future is indeed in your hands.

Oon Yeoh is a commentator who normally writes for The Edge weekly. He'll be writing a series of commentaries/analyses for the 12th General Election.