The loss of one parliamentary seat and five state assembly seats on Nomination Day, instead of acting like a wet rag to dampen the enthusiasm of Pakatan Harapan leaders, members and supporters, will have the opposite effect of firing up their spirit and determination to work trebly hard to effect change of the Prime Minister, governments and policies on May 9, 2018.
Pakatan Harapan does not deny that the loss of one parliamentary and five state assembly seats on Nomination Day is a setback, but this is not the result of the choice of the voters but further example of the wholesale cheating, underhand and undemocratic tactics of the Najib administration to “steal” the 14th General Election so that he could stay in power as Prime Minister.
But Najib is very wrong if he thinks that the loss of one parliamentary and five state assembly seats will break the spirit of Pakatan Harapan for political change on May 9.
On the contrary, it will be regarded as a further but costly reminder that the stakes on May 9, 2018 are very high, that this golden opportunity for the first political change in the country in 61 years must not be wasted, for such opportunity is not going to return for a very long time.
Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, the Chairman of Pakatan Harapan, is now 93 years old and nobody expects him to lead any movement for political change in the 15th General Election in five years’ time in 2023.
I am 77 years old and the 13th General Election is going to be my 12th and last general election battle.
Even Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will turn 71 in less than four months, and if Pakatan Harapan fails on May 9 to form the Malaysian Government in Putrajaya, which means that Anwar will not be the eighth Prime Minister of Malaysia as earlier decided by the Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council, it is difficult to imagine him as in the forefront of a national campaign for political change in the 15th General Election in another five years.
The 14th General Election is a “now or never” and “Do or Die” Battle to effect political change which means a change of the Prime Minister, a new Malaysian Government in Putrajaya and a new Johore State Government in Nusajaya, as well new policies and nation-building directions for the country.
(Speech in Kluang on Sunday, April 29, 2018 at 5.30 pm)