With the electoral pact between the DAP and PKR, there is now, finally, a semblance of a chance for the opposition to win the Penang state elections. As a matter of fact, this is the best opportunity an opposition party has had to win the state of Penang since Gerakan (then an opposition party) won the seat in 1969 - a gap of 38 years.

Considering the fairly widespread disenchantment and frustration among people in this country, particularly the non-Muslims, whoever wins Penang could determine the future for non-Muslims. Penang - a former Straits Settlement - is probably the country’s truest microcosm of a successful multi-racial society.

Let us be brutally frank about the business of politics – it is all about numbers. Going by the population growth expected for this country (and assuming that the policies of the Umno-led government do not improve the situation), it is anticipated that in about five to 10 years from now, the demographics in Penang will change. It is possible that the Muslim population will be the largest community and, for the first time ever, the Chinese will no longer be the majority group in Penang.

If this were to happen, considering the current political climate, the non-Muslim community in Penang could probably kiss goodbye the prospect of having a Chinese chief minister on the island for a very, very long time. Penang, the last bastion of non-Malay dominance in Malaysia, will fall in line with the rest of the Malaysian states and will then languish, just like the other states.

It has been a fact that Penangites, especially the Chinese, have always wanted the ‘best of both worlds’ on their island, when it comes to elections. Firstly, when it comes to the seats for the state assembly, the electorate normally votes for the BN so that, at least on their own turf, they can get what they want.

However, when it comes to the parliamentary constituencies, they feel they should vote for the opposition so that their ‘national interests’ are also represented and protected. This is what I mean by ‘having the best of both worlds’.

Look at the last election’s statistics. For the state assembly, the BN won 38 of the state seats, while the DAP managed only two seats. On the other hand, out of a total of thirteen parliamentary seats, the DAP won four seats.

Admittedly, this has served the Penangites fairly well in the past, but it may not be so easy in future if we choose to ignore the political realities. The people of Penang may have to discard its kiasu mentality for the greater cause of Malaysia. In this next general election, the candidates Penang supports could be decisive factors in determining the future character of Malaysia.

For the opposition, they might want to consider going for broke in Penang, which begets the question of which is more important - winning more state assembly seats and forming the government of Penang or winning a few parliamentary seats?

Perhaps the opposition might want to consider and contest only the state assembly seats and forget about the parliamentary seats. It is better to win the war rather than the battle. Better to win the state government of Penang than a few parliamentary seats

The voters in Penang have an important role to play - to determine whether or not they are prepared to stand up and have the courage to influence the future direction of this country

My argument is also based on the fact that, whether we like it or not, the BN will still win the general elections, hands down. And so it should. Save for the past decade, in which they have led the country astray, the Barison Nasional is still the best party to govern Malaysia today.

It is the view of many that the BN will govern the country much more effectively if the opposition wins a sizable number of seats in Parliament, to provide the much-needed checks and balances that this country is in such dire need of.

Just as in sports, there is nothing like a huge dose of competition to get the competition going. Similarly, it is not a bad idea to give the current BN administration a good run for its money (no pun intended).

But the question is: will the opposition parties in Penang, with the DAP in the forefront, have the guts to ‘gamble’ and just contest the state assembly seats and forget the parliamentary seats?

Is the DAP prepared to put its money where its mouth is? I certainly think it is worth the gamble.