DPM, "come back to the Barisan Nasional's fold."

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak made a plea to the Chinese and Indian communities in Permatang Pauh - come back to the Barisan Nasional's fold.He told them to reject the opposition and vote for Umno's Arif Shah Omar Shah in the Aug 26 by-election.And he had one more word of counsel - do not gamble with your children's future by supporting the opposition candidate who had been making false promises.He promised that the BN would champion the Indian and Chinese communities' cause in the constituency as they had been neglected by the opposition.

My comment: If the BN is fair and just in its policies to all the races in Malaysia, then Najib should not have to worry and promised the Indian and Chinese communities that the BN will champion their causes. The people are not blind and deaf and they know the track records of the BN, afterall BN has been the government since time in memorial.The by election of Permatang Pauh is not about Anwar or the PKR or the BN, it is the decision of the century whereby the voters of Permatang Pauh has to make the stand not only for themselves but for the 27 millions Malaysian as to whether Malaysia should remains an authoritarian regime (BN) or we want a bipartisan political landscape such as that of the US, the Aussie, the Brition and the majority of the G7.Malaysian wait in anticipation of the bipartisan system and never before(pre March 08) has it been possible or even thought of that the day of the bipartisan would become a reality. Now is the time and may be it is now or never in a sense (for Anwar and the Pekatan Rakyat).

May be this by election is also a referendum on the BN's fuel prices hike on the 4th of June 2008. The people are angry that while Malaysia and Petronas makes millions everyday from the oil export, the people are suffering in vain. Malaysian have gone on the streets to protest the high pump prices since the government announced the price hike but the government is unmoved to the suffering of the people and businesses.

I would predict that the BN government will announce the price cut just before the 26th of August because of the by election. But what we want is the pre June 4th fuel prices. The current world cruel oil price is hovering around USD 113 per barrel while it was USD 125 at the beginning of June, so it means that the government has no reason whatsoever not to revert its fuel prices to pre-JUNE 4th level, i.e petrol at RM 1.92/L and diesel at RM1.58/L.