In the light of DAP's poor showing in the elections, the pressure is on DAP to pull out of the alliance as it was thought that many Chinese felt betrayed by DAP's co-operation with PAS. But should DAP pull out of the alliance it will deal a severe blow to the fledging birth of a two party system in Malaysia and the fight for justice, democracy and good governance will be dealt a major setback. The opposition must be united if ever they wish to present a creditable challenge to the BN political juggernaut that has dominated Malaysian politics since independence.

It is sad that after 42 years of independence, BN still resorts to the repulsive tactic of racial and religious divide and rule to renew its mandate election after election. Instead of working to harmonize, integrate and unite the multi-ethnic people in the spirit of nation building, BN still see fit to play on the fear of one race against another and the fear of one religion dominating against another. Chinese are told that racial riots will break out if BN fails to win convincingly and Malays are led to fear that their special rights and privileges will be lost under the opposition. Fear of Islamization and Hudud laws are relentlessly played up to frighten the Chinese. Even the mention of a Chinese Prime Minister is blown into a contentious issue to turn Malays against Chinese although the constitution does not forbid it and in any case, political realities preclude such a possibility.

How can we as a nation progress into the next millennium when such divisive tactics are used by the ruling party to cling on to power? A party which has governed justly, fairly and honourably with accountability and transparency would not need to use such regressive methods to propagate its power. Alas, despite the economic progress the hallmarks of the BN government are massive tolerance for corruption, blatant cronyism and subjugation of the judiciary leading to economic distortions, loss of democratic freedom and increasing burden for the public who must pay for the enrichment of a small elite. And yet this corrupt front must be voted back into power election after election because there is no real alternative.

Hence the birth of the Alternative Front is an important first step in the right direction to a creditable two party system in which any one party has the practical chance of gaining power. This makes the incumbent government more accountable to the people and more mindful of corruption and abuse for it may be voted out by a dissatisfied people. And to make this alliance work, DAP is a compulsory member as it is the only party with majority Chinese representation to make the Alternative Front multi-racial and acceptable to all Malaysians.

DAP felt that many Chinese may have voted against it for working with PAS. Whether this is a correct perception or not is debatable as many Chinese may still be intimidated to vote BN by the relentless campaign of fear and intimidation directed at them even with DAP going alone. But DAP should not give up such brilliant long-term goals for a short-sighted solution. Breaking up the alliance would mean the fragmented opposition forever fighting a losing battle against BN hegemony. Although the opposition may take seats from BN, there will be no real choice for Malaysians and BN's claim of instability if it fails to gain a majority have a ring of truth to it.

The Chinese will have to be educated on the role of DAP in the Alternative Front. Like it or not, PAS is a party which has gained popular Malay acceptance and cannot be ignored. It is better to work with it than fight against it or pretend it can be contained by voting BN or DAP. The presence of DAP and other partners can act as a moderating influence on PAS. Many Chinese seem to have a phobic fear of PAS as if it is composed of hard core Taliban extremists. The fact is that PAS is very tolerant of other religions and culture, even more so than BN. In Kelantan, PAS has allowed the construction of new temples, the largest reclining Buddha and has allowed pig farming to continue. In contrast, the BN government's ban on new temples and churches has forced the minority groups into shophouses to practise their faith.

The fact that BN leaders have derided and frantically tried to break up the Alternative Front shows that they well recognize the threat that such an alliance poses. We have witnessed the mass media conduct an intense campaign of negative news against the alliance giving the impression that the leaders are contradicting each other, fighting over seats, at each other's throats, members resigning en masse and the alliance generally on the point of breakup. But disagreements and negotiations are normal in such a new coalition which bring together parties of such diverse culture and ideology and are a healthy path to harmonious future co-operation. Certainly it is better than the situation in BN where the party seems devoid of disagreements only because of the subservient relationship between UMNO and the rest of the component parties.

While our neighbours have wisely opted for clean and transparent governments to lead the way to real economic progress and prosperity, UMNO is still stuck in their feudalistic patronage system. Simply put, this patronage system means "if you are loyal to me, I will reward you". This leads to an inequitable distribution of wealth as favours and contracts are given on the basis of loyalty, nepotism and cronyism instead of merit. It leads to the growth of a super-rich elite connected to the corridors of power. It also means concentration of power in one individual, in this case the Prime Minister to whom all others must rabidly support to gain favours and keep their positions. Loyalty to the leader becomes the sole criteria for political positions while merit and performance is of no consequence. This was attacked and criticized by Dr. Mahathir himself when he wrote "The Malay Dilemma" in 1969 and again by Tengku Razaleigh when he withdrew from UMNO in 1990. It is worth noting that what Dr. M wrote 30 years ago is just as applicable today which pointedly shows that UMNO by itself has no capacity for structural change.

But change must come because the political patronage system entrenched in UMNO is no longer relevant to modern day nation building and the expectations of an increasingly well-informed and educated populace. Malaysians must break out of the shackles of race and religion imposed by the BN as a way of clinging on to power and move forward as one people and one nation to face the challenges of the next millennium. In this respect, Malays have shown that they are far ahead in political consciousness compared to the Chinese. Despite the intense campaign of fear and the playing of one race against another in the run up to the elections, Malays have shown their political maturity by voting and even campaigning for DAP in the straight fights while Chinese have succumbed to the BN propaganda of fear and hatred. Chinese have been willing to vote BN despite the corruption and the social abuses in their blinkered desire for continued peace and prosperity while Malays know that political changes must ensue for a better future which will certainly have peace and prosperity as its hallmarks. And to achieve that future we must have another party capable of taking over the reins of government or frighten BN so much they must institute deep structural changes or be swept away. It will not happen as long as a one party system exist.

Can the Alternative Front survive? A lot will depend on whether PAS can compromise on its hard line Islamic stance and work together with the coalition partners. Should PAS disregard the common manifesto and go all out to crusade for Hudud laws and an Islamic State, the other partners will have no choice but to disassociate themselves from PAS. But will PAS moderate? It was once considered a rural Malay party appealing to countryside folks by its staunch religious values but dissatisfaction with UMNO has turned many other Malays to PAS for want of a better alternative. With the emergence of Keadilan to attract moderate Malays, PAS will find its growth restricted if it sticks to religious fundamentalism. The odds are good that PAS will become more middle-of-the-road in order to appeal to mainstream Malays. As for Keadilan, a strong leader must emerge to take the lead (perhaps Anwar Ibrahim?) and the party must show that it can move beyond the Anwar issue to fight for broad issues of justice, democracy and equitable distribution of wealth. DAP has to resist trying to gain back Chinese voters by leaving the alliance and fighting a lone battle which will see it marginalised in the political arena.

For the sake of Malaysia, the Alternative Front must survive. It should make use of the next 4-5 years before the next general elections to strengthen itself and forge a closer bond between the partners. They have come together on a common platform of fighting corruption and social injustice they represent the hopes and aspirations of the future. As more and more young educated voters join the electoral roll, the emerging trend is a shift away from the UMNO system of political patronage to a more open and accountable government. No longer should we tolerate corruption, cronyism, nepotism and oppression as the price of economic progress and stability. The wave of the future is a rising tide against the last bastion of UMNO arrogance and feudalistic mentality. The Alternative Front is well-placed to take advantage of the sea change in the people's desire for good governance and social equality.

B. Gan

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