your say 'What went wrong was that the people, especially the Malays, were not duped, thanks to the almost immediate rebuttals from the alternative media.'

 

Perkasa chief Ibrahim mocks Umno's stand

Ferdtan: Ibrahim Ali's Perkasa, a brainchild of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, was formed to assist in the struggle to win back the Malay support from PAS and to a certain extent, PKR. The idea of the role-playing by Perkasa as ‘bad cop' as opposed to the ‘good cop' of 1Malaysia, espoused by the PM Najib, was an excellent idea.

What went wrong was that the people, especially the Malays, were not duped, thanks to the almost immediate rebuttals from the alternative media through the Internet. The ineffectiveness of Perkasa in playing on incendiary issues, such as race and religion, was due to the preparedness of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, who are ever mindful of such tactics of provocation.

Credit should go to PAS, as they handled the Malay and Islamic issues very well and neutralised whatever challenges Perkasa threw. In order to save face, Umno has to get rid of the sick cow, Perkasa, including the chief, Ibrahim Ali.

Anonymous: Ibrahim Ali, you say Umno was never involved in Perkasa. But what was Mahathir doing at your gathering? And how come PM Najib Abdul Razak was there on another occasion ?

Cala: Ibrahim Ali is talking about one thing, but acting on another. If indeed his reading of Umno members is accurate (that 70 percent of them would vote based on popular political platform), why is Perkasa saying nothing about the need for an accountable, transparent, and just governance? Why Perkasa is harping on ethnocentric issues?

Surely it makes more sense for Perkasa to focus on economic development issues, on the process to achieve growth, about wealth distribution amongst the poor with the fruits of harvest to be shared by all equitably.

Alan Goh: This king of kataks (frogs) is a fighter, he says. He stood on a PAS ticket in Pasir Mas but cheated the voters by becoming a BN-friendly independent. Ibrahim Ali, you belong to the same class as the few PKR MPs who became BN-friendly independents.

All you dishonourable MPs who have cheated the voters but have no guts to resign, please have the courtesy to shut up.

Swipenter: Ibrahim Ali has the patronage of the de facto PM of this country - Mahathir. Why, then, would he still need the support of Umno?

Strange how things can change within a short period of time. Before Perkasa was formed, I remember Mahathir saying that he wouldn't want to have anything to do with a character like Ibrahim when asked his opinion on politicians jumping from one party to another party.

It goes to show that for both, it is about political expediency and political survival. If Hindraf can be banned, I don't see any reason why Perkasa should not be subjected to the same treatment.

Neders: You, Ibrahim, a fighter? Yeah, sure. You only fight for your own selfish interests. Anyone who quits after winning on a Pakatan ticket and refuses to resign doesn't deserve any respect.

Freedom: I am not in any party, but I put the challenge to all the kataks (frogs) who lompat (jumped) to BN: please, if you have guts, ask BN to take you all as their candidates in their next election. I am sure BN won't. But perhaps the kataks don't care about this because they have already got their rewards.

Kgen: Let's dispense with the illusion that Perkasa has nothing to do with Umno. How else did Perkasa get its publishing permit at express speed? Why did Utusan Malaysia become a mouthpiece for Perkasa? Why did Perkasa campaign for BN at Hulu Selangor for a non-Malay candidate?

Since Umno buildt Perkasa up, Umno can also switch Perkasa off. Just wait and see.

Umno and Perkasa are 'Siamese twins'

Anon: Before 2008, Umno had PAS for a bogeyman. But now, thanks to Anwar Ibrahim, the people have warmed up to PAS. So Umno needs a new bogeyman. Enter Perkasa. Don't be fooled, people, we have a good cop-bad cop wayang kulit being played out here.

Philip Chong: Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor asked Umno members to keep a distance from Perkasa and not to attend any function organised by them. However, the top guns are supporting them. So Tengku, where is your power to stop them from getting close to Perkasa?

Anonymous: It's too late now for BN/Umno to disassociate themselves from Perkasa. When Ibrahim Ali started his nonsense, BN/Umno did nothing. Ibrahim Ali can say anything he wanted without being reprimanded by the law. It continued for far too long. Why only now has BN/Umno started to speak against him?

Obviously, Umno was using Ibrahim Ali to garner Malay votes. But Perkasa members are also Umno members. It's a zero-sum game. No moderate Malay will support Perkasa. By keeping silent, Umno gives the signal to the moderates that it is supporting Perkasa. This is evidenced by the fact that no action was ever taken against him, even today. That chased the moderates (and more so, the non-Malays) away.

Now that the Perkasa plan has backfired, BN is forced to renounce Perkasa in the hope of regaining the lost votes. But the ugly truth has been revealed. It's too late.

 

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