PR 2 BN 1

April 07 came and went. And the status quo remains: Pakatan Rakyat wins 2, Barisan Nasional wins 1. Despite Najib, despite Mahathir – BN still loses in Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau.

Najib had talked about reforms and multi-racialism, released 13 people detained under the Internal Security Act, and also lifted the ban on two “opposition” papers. Mahathir did an eleventh hour blitz on the final day of campaigning. But PKR’s Azmin Ali had countered with a challenge to voters to strike Mahathir out of Bukit Selambau, after telling the latter to “look yourself in the mirror before talking about democracy” as the former accused him of degrading the institution of the courts, Malay Rulers and the police force during his 22-year premiership (The Malaysian Insider, April 07).

Only in Batang Ai, the Sarawakians generally and the Ibans specifically are obviously not ready to embrace change – since BN retained this rural seat through their Parti Rakyat Sarawak component.

"The peninsular victories of PR over the BN has driven home the fact rather convincingly that the March 08 election(s) was no fluke. They reaffirmed that the ground has indeed shifted in favour of the Opposition. The results must be viewed as a damning referendum on Najib, Umno, BN and the government. The electorate have rejected the BN overwhelmingly and have sent a clear signal that they are not going to tolerate any more nonsense from Umno and the BN", wrote P Ramakrishnan (The Malaysian Insider, April 08). "When they elected a political novice and rejected a seasoned politician in Bukit Selambau, it was meant to spite the BN and MIC. When they elected Nizar in Bukit Gantang with a majority almost twice that of the previous one exactly a year later, it was meant to punish the BN and send a strong signal to Najib that they were thoroughly disgusted with him for engineering the fall of their duly elected Perak state government".

And in the Champions League, Arsenal drew 1-1 with Villarreal (an Adebayor goal in the 66th minute), and today, Liverpool battles it out with Chelsea…I know who is gonna win, of course!