If DAP had hoped that the great hoopla by PKR key figures at Melaka Pindah on the eve of Machap polling day could swoon voters over, they were in for a huge disappointment.
As the number of the audience had surged from 200 at 9.00 pm to 2,000 at 10:30 pm, observers would have expected that PKR’s charm offensive of being partners with DAP would have clinched some votes. But that tactic derailed miserably when the results from the Melaka Pindah district diminished all hopes of a successful DAP-PKR alliance. At this district, MCA secured a fortified 840 votes against a lame 131 votes for DAP.
The audience just couldn’t be bought so easily despite the presence of Malaysian political anti-thesis Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Other famed Opposition members gathered at the Melaka Pindah ceramah were DAP’s Lim Guan Eng and PKR’s deputy presidents Tian Chua and Azmin Ali, its treasurer and former Guthries and PNB CEO, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, its youth chief Shamsul Iskandar, The fiery oratory by all DAP and PKR leaders did not transcend to the voters, which eventually could not translate to votes. Simply said, the so-called Anwar factor failed to materialize.
If the so-called partnership was really genuine, then they would have stood by DAP from Day one. But PKR did not.
For MCA, other component parties in the Barisan Nasional produced a solid national front from the start. Deputy Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib bin Tun Razak was a regular feature at Machap, on the days leading up to polling day. Other BN who regularly appeared in Machap were MIC president Dato’ Seri S. Samy Vellu, Gerakan acting president, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon. Malacca Chief Minister, Dato’ Seri Muhammad Ali Rustam made it a point to visit Machap residents daily.
The muted response from the audience was due to the fact that largely, PKR was praising themselves. PKR was not there in Malacca for DAP. They went there to generate publicity to themselves since Ijok by-elections is just round the corner on 28 April 2007 … and Machap voters saw through their gamble. - MCA Online -