I am surprised that there are voices from within the opposition saying that it is time to move on and get on with business, ie. acknowledging BN's victory and continuing the fight within the current system that we have.

Perhaps this is understandable, given that many candidates, especially those from DAP, have now won a seat and do not want to betray the trust that their voters have put in them.

But what is often overlooked is that GE13 was not contested on a level-playing field. The following points can help illustrate this:

  • The constituency delineation is heavily biased towards the ruling coalition, popularly known as gerrymandering, and a rural voter is worth an average six urban voters, precisely the reason why Pakatan Rakyat has won the popular vote but lost in terms of parliamentary seats.
  • The relentless media attack against PAS and PKR resulted in the less-than-expected performance of the two parties, which found it a daunting challenge to counter all the baseless allegations churned out by RTM , TV3 , Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian .
  • Aided by the insurmountable advantage as incumbent, BN's fashion of vote-buying in GE13 was flabbergasting and morally outrageous, and many rural voters indicated that the several rounds of ‘monetary assistance' had influenced their voting intention.
  • Access to the rural areas in Sarawak - where vote-buying was perhaps the most rampant - has always been a challenge, while BN leaders had at their disposal state resources ranging from helicopters, to boats, to ease campaigning.
  • The Election Commission (EC) had not been neutral from the beginning.

I can go on and on, but the charge list would eventually take up the entire article. What is clear to all now - except for those who are happy to be blinded and fooled - is that any of these alone is enough to undermine the democratic integrity of our political system.

Pakatan's battle impossible from day one

Confronted with the gigantic state machinery, Pakatan's battle had been nearly impossible from day one. That the opposition managed to secure more state and parliamentary seats than 2008 is a cause for celebration indeed, although they should have won many more, in my view.

It is therefore rich of some BN leaders to accuse Pakatan of double standards in not questioning the seats won by the opposition.

In fact, BN should be thankful that Malaysians have chosen to play, albeit reluctantly, with the rules of game that Umno laid down. This is because we know the alternative - taking to the streets or boycotting the elections - could only benefit Umno and others who might seek to exploit the situation.

In other words, we have shown our goodwill by not attempting to radicalise the political climate so that voters could vote in peace. But it does not negate the fact that the game has never been fair and square in the first place!

Hence, for each and every seat that Pakatan won, they won it on merit, whereas BN's legitimacy is in constant doubt - particularly in constituencies where their majorities are wafer-thin, such as Labis , Segamat , Kuala Selangor , Cameron Highlands and Bentong .

NONE If BN politicians still have a sense of decency, they should readily admit that GE13 had been a farce instead of portraying it as a sterling example of democracy at work, although we the rakyat have been stupid too to play along despite the odds against us.

I am therefore fully supportive of human rights activist Haris Ibrahim ( left ) and his friends to mobilise street actions and highlight BN's legitimacy deficit. While Pakatan's concern and reservations are well-appreciated, their leaders should be cautious enough not to dismiss the kind of civil disobedience, or be in haste to distance themselves from it.

Facing the cunning and unscrupulous BN, we can have a three-pronged strategy in dealing with it - preparing to take the disputed results to court as PKR's Rafizi Ramli is doing, opposition lawmakers taking their seats to ensure the continued functioning of parliamentary democracy, and civil society putting pressure on the authorities through street protests.

NONE Anwar Ibrahim ( right ), in particular, must remember many endured state violence and suffered police brutality on the streets back in the late 1990s and early 2000s not only to save him from former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad's persecution, but also the country from tyranny.

If Anwar does not agree with the proposal to topple BN through street protests, the best that he and his colleagues - such as DAP's Karpal Singh - can do is just keep quiet.

Don't antagonise street protestors just to be in BN's good books, for you may need them one day.

And Pakatan must also make it crystal clear that they will not sup with the devil.

No apologies by BN yet

Over the past so many years under BN, corrupt officials have not been punished but only emboldened, whereas the rakyat were maltreated for being audacious to demand for free and fair elections.

More than 1,500 individuals have died in custody - yet the police continue to act with impunity, and racist candidates were endorsed by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak himself while the Chinese have been blamed for BN's failure to regain a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Not a word of apology has been uttered so far. Hence, for Pakatan to even toy with the idea of working with a government that sees no wrong in committing crimes against the people would be an ultimate insult and betrayal to those who have voted for them.

As for the ‘neutral elites' who sue for sanity and reconciliation, just ignore them. They have been conspicuously silent on all the electoral frauds and irregularities, but suddenly they want us to get on with life. I know the term for it, it is called the Stockholm Syndrome .

JOSH HONG studied politics at London Metropolitan University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. A keen watcher of domestic and international politics, he longs for a day when Malaysians will learn and master the art of self-mockery, and enjoy life to the full in spite of politicians.