The unfolding political crisis in Perak has become a popular topic for bloggers who are analysing the chaos from legal, personal and political perspectives.

political party perak jumping game hopscotch Several bloggers see a snap election as inevitable. And although many see Pakatan Rakyat winning, some think Barisan Nasional has a chance to take back the state. It will all come down to which camp has greater credibility in the eyes of voters.

Among the legal issues being discussed is whether or not the Changkat Jering and Behrang state seats have been vacated, as claimed. Bloggers, legal experts and politicians are all divided on this.

Michelle Yoon observed that “(legal) systems are put in so that messes like (the political crisis in Perak) don’t happen. If the EC (Election Commission) can do what it did, despite receiving an official letter from the speaker (of the Perak state assembly), then why should the resignation letters be given to the speaker in the first place?

“(PKR) might as well just give (the letters) to the EC. There must be some kind of flow here, and that’s the problem. The flow has gone nuts.”

“With the economic climate the way it is now, is it really all that wise to be spending so much money, time and attention on snap polls, when all this money, time and attention could be put to better use, like taking care of the entire country?”

Blogger Saw Teik Lim who uses the pen-name romerz writes: “Simply clinging on to power despite the tenacity of the situation makes (Pakatan Rakyat) no better than Umno/BN.

“Why is it so difficult for (Pakatan) to understand that they can't win the war against BN if they do not hold the moral high ground and with it the masses of voting Malaysians?”

Should snap polls be called, Wong Chin Huat , a commentator at The Nut Graph thinks that Pakatan Rakyat will be returned to power with an increased majority.

jamaluddin mat radzi and osman jailu perak pkr “There is no legitimate ground for a vote of no-confidence against the current ...state government. Except for the corruption charges against Jamaluddin (Mohd Radzi) and Mohd Osman (Jailu), the Pakatan Rakyat is not implicated in any major scandal of corruption, power abuse or incompetence.”

If anything, the state government, which prides itself on its "inexperience in corruption", has scored with flying colours, notes Wong.

“What has Umno done since March 8 to win back non-Malay Malaysians? Nothing. If anything, provocative statements by the likes of Datuk Ahmad Ismail and Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, and worsening police violence have created more bad press for Umno and the BN.”

Strategies dissected

Still, according to some, there is hope for Barisan Nasional, if it can find the right people.

“...if there are state elections, I feel BN may win the state back...But Umno will have to do many things right. One important factor is that Tajol Rosli is no more the Kepala Umno in Perak,” writes Syed Akbar Ali .

najib tun razak 040808 “Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak (left) is now holding the post. This means if there are state elections, the Malays in Perak can look forward to having a new MB.

“Dato Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, the (state assemblyperson for) Pangkor … is raring to have a go to lead Umno/BN in Perak...Zambry is young and aggressive. He is also an intellectual with a PhD. I know Zambery from around 2000 and he is a people-friendly man.”

Some bloggers see the defections as ‘politics as usual’ but feel that PKR and Umno are losing credibility by trying to induce defections. Bloggers describe the defectors in colourful language that cannot be repeated here.

a kadir jasin Former newspaper editor A Kadir Jasin says PKR is shooting itself in the foot by encouraging defections.

“It appears that many PKR leaders, members and supporters have no qualms (about) adopting Umno’s alleged dirty tactics to gain power while at the same time claiming that they are more transparent, ethical and trustworthy than Umno.”

khoo kay peng Koo Kay Peng observes that the same is true for Umno, saying the party may win a battle but will lose the war.

“The party should prove to Malaysians that it is willing to change its ways. Accepting the two (assemblypersons) - who are facing corruption charges - into its fold only shows Umno's grit to keep its old habits.”