The heat has started, probably one of the most historical moments of 2014 is to be witnessed at the Kajang by-election. Anwar Ibrahim has been named as Pakatan Rakyat’s choice, while ruling coalition Barisan National is still researching as to who to name as a candidate to go against the opposition leader.

Why not Anwar?

Parti Keadilan Rakyat has stated its reasons or more popularly branded as the ‘Kajang move’. Many see these reasons as mere excuses to getting Anwar a chance to become the next menteri besar and ousting current Khalid Ibrahim.

Viewing the scenario as a local voter, Anwar Ibrahim currently holds the position of a Member of Parliament in Penang about 300km away, and is already part of the Selangor state government as an economic adviser, as well as being opposition leader in the parliament, de facto leader of his party and holding various other foreign consultancy positions.

Now, as far as we know, we have never heard of him having conducted consultative sessions in Permatang Pauh and taking the issues up in parliament, nor any laudable investments for the state, and neither has he tabled a private member’s bill as the opposition leader that I know of.

This clearly shows he has insufficient time to even handle all his current positions. How is he going to serve the people of Kajang, and worse still if he becomes menteri besar, the aspiration for which he has never denied?

As a Kajang voter I would prefer voting in a local candidate who knows my surroundings well, is easily accessible and has plenty of time to spend with the people. In fact the new race of politics promoted by Pakatan Rakyat is about having local representation who can speak for the people and one person holding one position to serve more effectively .

Over the past six years, under the leadership of Khalid Ibrahim, Selangor has been very well governed. Rarely do you hear from fellow activists who condemn his administration. Therefore, the people of Selangor at large don’t see a need for a new menteri besar. Things might be moving slowly, but they are progressing, we all know it is an uphill struggle.

Anwar Ibrahim has held many positions in government but I hardly know any achievements during his term that we could have been proud of. I only see him as an individual who could hold the coalition together.

Looking at Khalid Ibrahim, he has a proven track record in Permodalan Nasional Berhad, Guthrie Group and various other corporate positions to be proud of. Also accusing him as not being able to be a politician  does not make sense as he has been appointed as commander in chief for the by-election. Now who would you choose to lead the state, a populist with no achievements in governing or the latter?

Pakatan needs to get back on track

The appointment of local councillors is done based on the various parties’ recommendations, and Pakatan Rakyat had promised to increase the quality of councillors as well as reserving a portion of these positions for non-government reps. Over the years political parties have become greedy and local councillor positions have been allocated to individuals who have assisted the party and not deserving high-quality councillors as promised.

The latest list for 2014 according to sources has been held back by Khalid Ibrahim because some of the nominated individuals are of unacceptable standard, probably most.

There were rumours of a former human right activist, a current member of parliament, a prominent lawyer from a prestigious UK university and a member of the party’s top decision-making committee nominating his driver as a councillor, and in the 2013 elections suggesting a fellow lawyer as a member of parliament.

Pakatan Rakyat has been branded as the coalition that practices a new type of politics, with more professionalism and transparency. These values keep them as the popular choice among young voters. However, with recent incidents, it is somewhat declining in these values, and maybe the time has come for the rakyat, especially people of Kajang, to put a string around Pakatan Rakyat and get them back on track by denying them victory in the by-election.

As a voter of Kajang who once voted for Pakatan Rakyat in this state seat, I would not be voting Anwar Ibrahim this time simply to tell Pakatan Rakyat to get back to your principles, and urge fellow voters to follow suit. Their defeat in this seat would not bring any major change in the ruling state government’s majority, but instead will safeguard the state’s governance.

VINOD NAIDU M, a registered voter in Kajang, is a young activist actively involved in the nation’s democratic process.