ON Saturday night, barring any unforseen circumstances, Ijok will get a new assemblyperson. Either BN's K Partiban or PKR's Khalid Ibrahim will be voted in to warm themselves in the Selangor state legislative assembly for at least 16 months till the next general election.
Enough were said, shouted and screamed by the two opposing groups at each other over the nine days of campaigning.
Taking humour with a serious twist, I believe this is what the main Ijok players would have left to say (perhaps in their hearts, if not aloud) after the results are announced.
In the event of a BN victory:
From the winning camp:
Pak Lah:
Again, the people have placed their trust in the government. We will have to work harder to fulfill our promises to them
Najib:
It showed that Ijok voters are not interested in Altantuya and Mongolia.
Samy Vellu:
I kept my promise to camp in Ijok. The Indians in Ijok believe me and the MIC. My next task is to find a wife for Parthiban.
Ong Ka Ting:
BN's spirit of cooperation is very effective. In Machap, the Indians voted for a Chinese candidate. Now, the Chinese in Ijok have returned the favour.
Parthiban:
[After thanking everybody, he added,] I am new, please continue to guide and help me in my political struggle for the people of Ijok.
Khir Toyo:
I have 'adopted' Ijok and obviously, the voters approved of my action. Now, I have more reasons to adopt other areas.
Khairy:
Ijok voters are smart people. They are not taken in by the lies spread by the opposition.
Hishammuddin:
I did not bring my keris to Ijok...in fact, I don't need to. The symbol of patriotism for the country and the BN government is overwhelming in Ijok.
SP Thirumoorthy :
All my hard work had paid off. I worked day and night for Parthiban, just as I did for Sivalingam. I will always be loyal to BN, MIC and my president.
From the Opposition:
Anwar:
Although we lost, I am happy with the overall results. Many in Ijok are very unhappy with the government but the innocents have been corrupted - they are unable to resist the goodies given to them by the BN.
Wan Azizah:
This defeat is a blessing in disguise for us. We didn't expect to win anyway. Perhaps PKR has to review its electoral strategies in the coming general election.
Kit Siang:
I want the prime minister to explain in Parliament on Monday the rampant abuse of government funds and machinery in the Ijok by-election and why he has failed yet again to live up to his pledge of wiping out corruption and abuse of power in his administration.
Karpal:
Mahathir used to say that the Malays easily forget...now, the 'disease' seems to have spread among the Indians (in Ijok, at least)
Hadi Awang:
Maybe, PAS should contest in Ijok the next time around.
Khalid Ibrahim:
This is only the beginning of my struggle for Malaysians. Considering that this is my first electoral outing, I didn't perform too badly, did I?
Syed Husin Ali:
You win some, you lose some. This time, we lost. Next time, we will win. That's politics!
Azmin Ali:
Despite the defeat, our candidate has proven that he is not a 'jobless lightweight' as Khir Toyo had charged. Put Khir Toyo and Khalid Ibrahim on the weighing scale - it's obvious who is the lightweight!
Teresa Kok:
At least, it's a moral victory for single politicians. Voters do not judge you by your marital status.
From an independent observer:
James Wong (malaysiakini analyst):
I was proven correct. It is so [very extremely] difficult, almost impossible for the opposition to win a by-election in this country and I do not expect a wind of change blowing into the many more by-elections to come.
In the event of an Opposition victory:
From the Opposition:
Anwar:
The foundation stone for our victory in the next general election has been laid. Reformasi is upon us again. This is a new beginning for all Malaysians who want to see genuine changes in the way things are run in this country.
Wan Azizah:
PKR is now accepted by the people. Throughout the campaign, we could sense that. This victory will inspire us to work even harder for the people who have pledged their trust in us.
Kit Siang:
The first thing the new YB (Khalid) will have to do is to prepare the opposition budget for the state of Selangor for the new year and present it in the state assembly.
Karpal:
We can now consider Khalid the new CEO of Ijok.
Hadi Awang:
If the opposition win Selangor in the next elections, PAS will propose Khalid Ibrahim as the menteri besar.
Khalid Ibrahim:
I will bring all my experiences in government and the corporate world (minus my bossiness, of course) into my new job as the elected rep for Ijok.
Syed Husin Ali:
This victory shows that PKR has been doing the right things - it is now blessed with a representative in the Selangor state legislative assembly.
Azmin Ali:
Khir Toyo must be fuming now that Khalid has a job.
Teresa Kok:
Perhaps the young BN candidate has more time now to look for a girlfriend. He [good looking and well educated] shouldn't have any problem.
From the BN camp:
Pak Lah :
It's okay lah. It's only a by-election lah. It's only one seat lah. We cannot win everything. It shows that democracy is very much alive in this country.
Najib:
I'm surprised that the people of Ijok take Altantuya and Mongolia so seriously.
Samy Vellu:
I will tarik balik all the development projects. They can go and ask the opposition to help them now.
Ong Ka Ting:
We did not expect to lose. MCA will conduct a post mortem on why the Chinese swing to the other side.
Parthiban:
I'm sorry for letting the BN down. But I will continue to offer my services to the people as usual.
Khir Toyo:
I don't know what happened. I will have to review my decision to 'adopt' Ijok. Maybe, the people of Ijok do not want that.
Khairy:
It seems that the opposition parties are getting more effective in their campaign of lies. BN Youth will need to be more aggressive to counter this in future. Obviously, Pemuda gempur, PKR terkubur didn't work.
Hishammuddin:
Apparently, I fail to see that there are certain groups around who consider patriotism a very low priority.
SP Thirumoorthy:
I told you so. This would not have happened had I been chosen as the candidate.
From an independent observer:
James Wong (malaysiakini analyst):
I was proven correct. It's possible for the opposition to win a by-election if the candidate is strong one and acceptable to all parties. Obviously, Khalid Ibrahim managed to score high marks on those two fronts.
FRANCIS PAUL finds elections boring now as politicians tend to hum the same old familiar tunes all too often. He can be reached at [email protected]
