Does Permatang Pauh really have a choice?

Come elections, they come down to the people - visiting them, smiling and handing out little goodies here and there, kissing babies, greeting the elderly.. - they are the 'politicians', and in Permatang Pauh it seems that things are not that different this elections..

....But wait....there is a difference this time. This time them goodies are being handed out not just by them BN....but also the Pakatan Rakyat.... This is what Malaysiakini just informed us.

More election goodies rolled in for the people of Permatang Pauh on the fourth day of the by-election campaign. But this time it was not from Barisan Nasional (BN) alone.

MCPX

It raised the questions as to whether this flouted election laws which clearly stipulate that an election candidate is prohibited from handing out goodies as it could be deemed as a vote-buying attempt.- Malaysiakini, 19/8/2008 - Goodies roll in ... from all sides

The BN gave .....

During a function held at a Chinese school in Kampung Sungai Lembu this afternoon, Deputy Education Minister Dr Wee Ka Siong announced an allocation of RM200,000 for the school.

The allocation came on top of another RM1 million allocation to five Chinese schools in the constituency announced during his visit last week.

Also present at the function this afternoon were BN candidate Arif Shah Omar Shah and Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai, who is also MCA Youth chief.

Apart from the Chinese schools, Wee also announced another sum of RM50,000 each for two Tamil schools in Butterworth which do not fall under the Permatang Pauh constituency. - Malaysiakini, 19/8/2008 - Goodies roll in ... from all sides

A flash flood reported in several areas in Permatang Pauh yesterday also paved the way for election campaign teams to hand out goodies to those affected.

Earlier today, Arif Shah gave out RM1,000 to Teh Soo Chair, 44, whose wife and daughter went missing after they fell into a flooded monsoon drain in Tanah Liat.

The body of his daughter was recovered this afternoon while the search for his wife continues.

In handing out the cash, the BN candidate stressed that he was giving the money in his capacity as the head of an NGO known as the People’s Welfare Association.

"No need to take photographs, I just give him (the money) will do," he told reporters, before asking his assistant to give the money on his behalf. - Malaysiakini, 19/8/2008 - Goodies roll in ... from all sides

And the PKR also gave....

On the PKR front, Anwar Ibrahim made an impromptu visit to Kampung Jalan Baru in Seberang Jaya, where some 100 households were affected by the flash flood.

During his brief visit, the opposition leader made a few stops at some houses and visited the affected families.

After he left, a team led by the party’s Kedah chief senator Zamri Yusuf handed out rice packets and hampers to the families amounting to about RM6,000. However, no cash was given.- Malaysiakini, 19/8/2008 - Goodies roll in ... from all sides

And was it not a flouting the law??

Arif Shah's response:-

Asked whether this flouted election laws, Arif Shah - who is also the Seberang Jaya state assemblyperson - argued that it has been a practice to give out such aid.- Malaysiakini, 19/8/2008 - Goodies roll in ... from all sides

Dr Wan Azizah - PKR President's response:-

Also present was PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. The former MP for Permatang Pauh said this was not an unusual practice as she used to give out such aid in her capacity as a parliamentarian before.- Malaysiakini, 19/8/2008 - Goodies roll in ... from all sides

And what did the people say to this:-

A check with the locals however revealed that they have not received such aid before, apart from a sum of RM300 they had allegedly received from Arif Shah during the 2004 general election.- Malaysiakini, 19/8/2008 - Goodies roll in ... from all sides

I say, that was a rather balanced and good report from Malaysiakini...

Well, at the end of the day, both Anwar, Arif and Wan Azizah have long been affected by that BN culture and practices... so we really can't blame them for doing this. They know not better...

As far as I know, them other opposition parties like the PAS, DAP or PRM never did practice such handing out of goodies especially during campaign periods. All they did give was offer HOPE, CHANGE and the promise to do things better and differently if they were elected...

Things are changing....and it is becoming difficult differentiating the two main contenders for power...

At the end of the day, are they really that different....

Well sometimes, we really must focus on persons..

Like today, I met some people from Subang Jaya, and they were all praises for the good work being done by Hannah Yeoh, their Pakatan Rakyat state assemblyperson...

And a couple of weeks ago, some people told me that Sharizat Abdul Jalil did so much better as a wakil rakyat for lembah Pantai. She was very present in the community and also did a lot for the single mothers in the area. Comparatively, they say that they have not seen Nurul Izzah, the new MP after the election period.

As far as wakil rakyat goes, at the end of the day it boils down to who is that individual who is their wakil rakyat - not so much which party or which coalition he belongs to.

But that is with regard to the constituency level, but at the state and/or national level, then maybe it is important to look at parties and coalitions working together (or is it really?).

And at this level, the challengers who want to be government must be different, and seen to be different from the incumbents BN.

If not, people will be cheated and not get any REFORMASI - only a change of persons having power.

And our quest for an alternative continues....