Respondents to a Facebook poll conducted by Malaysiakini overwhelmingly believe that PAS' photo-finish victory in Manek Urai indicates that Pakatan Rakyat parties should "buck up, stop in-fighting, and improve [their] performance" in governing.

The poll started on Wednesday, 15 July 2009.

A link to the poll was sent to all Malaysiakini Facebook group members, but other Facebook users could also vote on it.

As of noon today, 265 votes were in.

manek urai by election result 140709 05 While not scientific or representative in any manner, the poll still delivers a rough snapshot of public opinion on the Manek Urai results.

"After more than a year in office, Pakatan has started slowly shattering internally. This should not happen.

And truly, Pakatan should stop looking and checking on the previous state governments' wrongdoings but be more focus and attention should be given to the public," said one of the respondents, Alexzander Johnson.

Participants were asked how the Manek Urai results should be interpreted.

A variety of options were made available, but participants were to pick only what they thought to be the most salient interpretation of the Manek Urai poll results.

NONE Options ranged from the results being "a vindication of Najib's leadership and BN policies", to the belief that the margin of victory is unimportant (PAS still won).

A whooping 73 percent of respondents thought that the results demonstrated that Pakatan Rakyat should avoid internal fights, and redouble their effects in the public service.

The next closest response, at a meager 8 percent, was that "PAS should refrain from unity talks" with Umno and BN.

This was followed by "National politics was irrelevant here. Only local issues mattered" which only took 6 percent of the vote.

BN will take over if...

One participant, Alan See, wrote, "If PR is not united, BN will win back a 2/3 majority in the next [general] election.

I'm upset to see the latest developments [involving] PR, especially the pig farm issue in Kedah, conflict [within] Selangor PR, and et cetera... [I] hope all these [issues] can be resolved with the best interests of the Rakyat and PR [in mind]."

NONE Boon Jin Tek has a somewhat different take: "Sometimes, I [get] really upset [over] human short-sightedness and our short attention span.

A building takes months to be build, a city decades and a country even longer. Why does the media and the people always need to be shown news about the progress of a newly minted opposition-ruled states?

Why can't we let them have more time before we make judgment?"

"Umno promised a bridge. Since they managed to reduce PAS' majority to 65 votes, they will only build half of the bridge," quipped Vincent Tan.

Go here to vote and/or view the full results of the poll

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