Cowardly BN?

I think not. Feel free to disagree.

If we assume that it is the PR’s tactic to run a 4-year campaign up until the next General Election, then the move by the BN to not-contest the Penanti by-election makes sense. There is a reason why the campaign period is limited by the election rules. Continually running by-elections is a way to circumvent those rules.

If we assume that this tactic is true, then there are only two ways to tackle the problem – either beat the competition to a pulp or avoid confrontation entirely. In this particular case, there is no way to do the former. So, it would be better to do the latter.

What the BN needs to do now is focus on the war, not individual battles. Of course, all wars are won one battle at a time, but it is also important to pick and choose battles and battlegrounds. I’m not politically knowledgeable enough to know if Penanti is a strategic seat, but it probably isn’t.

BN needs to break the PR momentum of winning by-election victories and cut-off the campaign flow. Instead, they should focus on fixing the problems of the previous administration and doing a good job of things. If they can show that they are able to do things right, they will have a fighting chance in the next GE.

One good thing that the last GE brought about – the political landscape in Malaysia has changed forever. That is a good thing.