Lim Kit Siang is calling the next general election the “battle of the century” because unlike the past contests, BN-Umno will not be going in with its usual supreme confidence of a comfortable win.

    

“Prime Minister Najib Razak is fully aware of the highest stakes involved in the next general election, which is why he is so indecisive on the dates for the national polls, setting off repeated speculations as to when the next general elections would be held,” said Lim in a statement today.

“The 13th general election will be unprecedented, as it will be the first general election in the nation’s history where the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional under Umno hegemony, will be facing a life-and-death battle.

“This is why Najib reminded the Selayang Umno division today that in a general election there is no such term as runner-up like in other contests, as either Umno and BN retain power in Putrajaya or they are relegated to the opposition benches,” said the Ipoh Timor MP.

The DAP veteran speculated that the GE will be called sometime year end or the next year.

“I think we can rule out the possibility of general elections in the third quarter of this year.  

“The next general elections will be either at the end of this year or next year,” he said.

Lim said Pakatan Rakyat is targeting to retain all its present states and reclaim Perak, adding that the ambitious task of taking Negri Sembilan, Johor, Malacca, Pahang, Terengganu and Perlis as well.

‘BN warming up for opposition bench’

Lim stressed that unlike past contests, Umno-BN no longer enjoyed the kind of confidence of a comfortable majority win as they had in the past 12 general elections.

At stake, he said, was not just whether BN can regain the two-thirds parliamentary majority lost in 2008, “but whether they could be returned to power or would have to occupy the Opposition benches for the first time in their experience”.    

“This is probably the reason why Umno and BN leaders are so panicky about the Bersih 2.0 peaceful rally on July 9 for fair, free and clean elections, for they fear that Bersih 2.0 will be even more successful manifold than the first Bersih rally in 2007.” he said.

Lim says Najib should be aware that a 5 percent swing in votes as compared with GE12 will hand Pakatan the right to form government.

“The same odds apply for the state elections as well,” he said.

Lim however warned the ruling party that using “high-handed, repressive and undemocratic measures” such as that being levelled against Bersih in recent weeks will do little to help BN’s fortunes, but may have the opposite effect.

“...They may be creating the very conditions which would ensure a 5 percent swing against Umno and BN in the next general election - setting the stage for a change of federal power in Putrajaya for the first time in the nation’s history.”