Pakatan Rakyat lost a strong ally when the Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar was replaced by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's cousin, Hishamuddin Hussein.

With Syed Hamid at the helm of the Home Ministry, Pakatan won over a lot of previously BN supporters. Many were appalled at the autocratic manner in which the Home Ministry directed the police to curb what were harmless peaceful assemblies.

Even peaceful candlelight vigils were met with brute force from the police who were suppose to be defenders and protectors of lawful citizens. Even small children handing flowers to the prime minister were manhandled and taken into custody.

Even innocent reporters who reported on the racists and seditious words uttered by an Umno member from Penang were not spared and was taken into custody but later because of public outcry, the Home Minister offered the lame excuse that she was taken in ‘for her own protection'.

Even the popular member of Parliament, Teresa Kok was arrested under the ISA purportedly because the Selangor ex-menteri besar Mohd Khir Toyo had wrongly reported that she had petitioned against the noise emanating from a mosque in Shah Alam.

Because unfettered power was given to one man who suddenly inherited so much power, it was frivolously applied without any regard to the truth or falsity of the accusations.

Hence, when it was later found to his chagrin that he had acted impulsively on both counts, the Home Minister had to eat humble pie and release the two innocent victims.

His other ridiculous forays of arresting and blasting tear gas to disperse peaceful assemblies were so brutal that even BN supporters turned against the government.

The ex-home minister's last contribution to Pakatan Rakyat's cause was during the recent tri-election when police issued warnings that the name Altantuya and the Perak sultan's decision not to dissolve the Perak assembly should not be mentioned during ‘ceramah'.

Obviously, the home minister was taking 'ampuism' to a new height by making sure that the incoming PM''s name was not associated with the Mongolian model Altantuya.

It really boggles the intelligent mind how a minister could dictate such frivolous conditions and prohibit the utterance of the name of a woman who was brutally murdered. To compound matters, opposition parties were not issued with permits to hold ‘ceramah' and were constantly harassed and force to disperse.

All these measures by the home minister - purportedly to help the BN government - backfired and support for the opposition increased many folds.

Pakatan Rakyat's success in both the by-elections in Bukit Selambu and Bukit Gantang are due largely to the stupendous policies and actions of the home minister then.

With the removal of Syed Hamid Albar as minister of the Home Ministry, Pakatan Rakyat lost one of its strongest ally.

It remains to be seen whether the new minister, Hishamuddin, the cousin of Najib, would be an ally or foe of Pakatan Rakyat.