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After its humiliation in Kuala Terengganu, Barisan Nasional has no choice but to face the facts: the people of Malaysia are not happy with their Barisan-led government. Ever since the March general election, Barisan has been tearing itself apart in petty struggles instead of doing any serious soul-searching.

The coalition had practically every conceivable advantage in the recent by-election; that in spite of this they lost speaks to a fundamental unhappiness with our government, and nothing short of sweeping reform, whether from within or without Barisan, will change this.

Post-March 8, Barisan leaders posited all sorts of reasons for their defeat. MCA leaders blamed concern about religious freedom and ethnic relations. UMNO leaders cited Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's poor leadership. MIC leaders suddenly found the heart to say something about the problems faced by working class Indians. Gerakan and PPP politicians voiced the need for greater freedom of expression and a more open government. But instead of uniting around any sort of coherent agenda based on these problems raised by Barisan component parties, the coalition has tried to maintain business as usual, as if March 8 changed nothing.

In the meantime, every indication since March 8 has been that anti-Barisan sentiment is growing, not abating. Polls and surveys consistently show significant dissatisfaction with our leadership that cuts across race, religion, and class. In the Permatang Pauh by-election a few months after March 8, voters sent the Barisan candidate packing with a larger majority for Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. With nearly a year since the general election, the Kuala Terengganu by-election presented the best chance for Barisan and its incoming leader Najib Tun Razak to prove themselves.

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