BERSIH TRIBUNAL The police Special Branch used to provide reports to the chief minister on the performance of BN elected representatives and their electoral chances, said former Penang state exco member Toh Kin Woon.

NONE"It serves as a very useful feedback on certain areas where we need to improve, or if certain people are unhappy with us because we seem too arrogant and cocky and need to improve our mannerisms…

"These are useful feedback available only to members of the state assembly, and maybe parliament, of the ruling coalition only," he told the Bersih People’s Tribunal today.

He added that the information was provided to the chief minister in his capacity as the head of the State Security Council.

Toh had served three terms as an exco member under then-Penang chief minister Koh Tsu Koon’s administration, and is now a research fellow at the Penang Institute as well as Bersih steering committee member.

However, he was unable to provide a concrete response whether the practice is ongoing, or if Pakatan Rakyat-administered states have access to the same information.

“I would be surprised if it is not continued, but I don’t know because I have not gone to the villages,” he said.

He added that if an area is identified as a weak spot, the Information Department and Village Security and Development Committees (JKKK) would help organise events such as meet-and-greets to bolster support.

However, he said despite this advantage, there is still no guarantee against electoral defeat because the anti-establishment sentiment can get too strong to overcome, such as the backlash from then-deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim’s sacking in 1999.

“I myself lost in all the Malay areas (in 1999) despite institutional support. I lost in all the rural villages particularly because Anwar was very, very popular,” he said.