The voters have spoken. After 15 years of PAS rule in the Malay-belt areas in the east coast, the BN's promise of heaven on earth with all its material trappings in which only the government of the day with unlimited funds from the Treasury (read taxpayers' hard-earned monies) can provide have changed the winds to BN's favour (albeit with a thin majority).

With the razor-thin majority of only one seat in the state assembly, one can only guess how long the present PAS state government can last.

The Pengkalan Pasir by-election result shows that Ibrahim Ali is a spent force in politics and Anwar Ibrahim's charisma and oratory skills had failed to move the crowd to vote for the incumbent party. This does not auger well for the former deputy premier's political future. It seems to be a paradox that the former number two man in the government seems to be more popular behind bars than as a free man.

At the end of the day, it is the bread-and-butter issues that remain the main grouse of the common people and those who can deliver will win the votes as material wealth is more important than spiritual wealth for those who live in abject poverty.

With all the government machinery and funds at their disposal, the opposition party is no match to the ruling party in this by-election but one has to concede that with all the unfairness they encounter, one has to give credit to them to lose with their heads held high.

In the meantime, for those who were rooting for the underdogs to retain their seat in Pengkalan Pasir, let us hope that the promises made by Umno will turn into reality and hopefully the economic well-being of the poor will turn for the better in the coming future.

To have a transparent government which is fair to all the communities in this country is still a pipedream so long as voters still think that the ruling coalition is the only entity that can form the government and so long as the opposition parties which win seats are denied funds from the federal government to develop their constituencies.