BN Must Transform Itself

KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 (Bernama) -- The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) must take several measures to transform itself into a strong alliance and well accepted by the people.
The International Movement for a Just World (JUST) president Dr Chandra Muzaffar said that the first test would come soon when the prime minister named his cabinet.
"The cabinet must be appointed from people who are not tainted," he said in a forum entitled "ISIS Forum on the 2008 General Election Results: Outcome and Implications for Malaysia" here today.
He said it was also important how the ruling alliance, which is still reeling from the huge loss of seats in the March 8 election, would address challenges and issues, such as those related to economic and subsidies.
Another thing, he pointed out, was how the coalition was going to address issues pertaining to religion.
He said BN must also make efforts to create a BN identity rather than maintaining the current situation where component parties were individual in nature, with ethnic-based identity.
Dr Chandra also said that Sabah and Sarawak had contributed a lot in terms of seats which helped the BN to return to power and as such this contribution must be recognised.
BN won 30 parliamentary seats in Sarawak and 24 in Sabah.
In this context, he said, more cabinet posts must be given to them and more people from the two states be appointed to important positions in government agencies and government-linked companies.
He also said that the erosion of support from the people for the BN was serious this time around compared to any other elections in the past.
Another implication was that the ruling alliance must reinvent itself and address issues of concern such as crime rate, living cost, religious issues and corruption.
To reinvent, the coalition must institute necessary changes, he said.
Dr Chandra said that since five states were now under the opposition, there would also be implications on the federal-state relations.
Pas and DAP, he said, would also be in a "loose coalition" for the first time.
"I think we are in a very critical and interesting time," he added.

tunku : in order for BN to transform itself, it should remove all the deadwood in BN.Some of the deadwood in BN lost(thank god) but some are still around.BN need new leadership for sure.With Pak Lah's as PM, BN will never transform.PAK LAH RESIGN NOW.