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By Reme Ahmad, THE STRAITS TIMES AFTER the shock victories, now comes the tough task of ruling.
The opposition coalition that found itself unexpectedly in control of four new states is hunkering down to the nuts and bolts of governing - armed with little experience to do so. Among the three coalition partners, only Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) has ruled a state - and that, too, one with a rural economy. The other two parties, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), have no governing experience at all. The stakes are high because if the opposition does well in Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Perak, the Barisan Nasional could have a tough time regaining control of them at the next election. But if their coalition fails to deliver - or worse, falls apart - these partieswill likely be booted out the next time around. 'This is the best chance to create a two-party multiracial system in Malaysia, so they cannot afford to fail,' said lawyer S.P. Pathi, president of the non-governmental organisation Education Welfare and Research Foundation. The four states that the opposition captured last Saturday contain many industrial jewels that have drawn multi-billion-dollar investments. Among them are two of Malaysia's busiest ports, Port Klang in Selangor and Penang Port. The country's main industrial hub is located in Selangor's Petaling Jaya, with sprawling stretches of factories and plants, including many set up by international investors such as Motorola, Carlsberg, Sony and Texas Instruments. There is also a slew of foreign high-tech industries, in Penang and the township of Kulim in Kedah, including Intel and Fuji Electric. In Perak's Tanjung Malim, Selangor's Rawang and Kedah's Gurun towns are giant vehicle plants owned by Proton, Perodua and Naza. Malaysia's main holiday islands are also now in opposition hands - Penang, Langkawi in Kedah and Pangkor in Perak. New Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng of the DAP alluded to the burdens of office after he was sworn in on Tuesday. Entering his office and sitting on the chief minister's chair for the first time, he said: 'I already feel the heavy responsibility.' To move fast, the coalition may have to get more technocrats into its midst, some observers say. 'When the reality sinks in, you would have to start looking at issues to be addressed and projects to be carried out,' said Mr Lau Kien Foh, director of a major accounting firm. While PAS has had experience running Kelantan for 18 years and Terengganu for four years, its expertise has been vastly different. In those two states, PAS was the sole party in charge. It could introduce new policies without having to consult other members of a coalition. The population of the two east coast states is predominantly Malay - about 95 per cent - which means pro-Islam policies would be accepted readily. But in Kedah, the new PAS-led government under Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak faces a different environment. The conservative Islamists won the most number of seats in the election last Saturday, but not enough to take control of the state assembly. So, it has to work with the PKR and DAP as coalition partners. Also, Kedah has a substantial number of minority races. Chinese, Indians and non-Muslims of Thai descent make up a quarter of its 1.9 million population. The opposition coalition also has to tread warily so as not to frighten investors in the industrial cities of Kulim and Sungai Petani, or spook owners of hotels and pubs in Langkawi. Moving to quell any unease, PAS secretary-general Kamaruddin Jaafar told The Straits Times: 'There are mixed feelings about us, but it means a great deal for us to make it work. Things have to be discussed with our coalition partners at the highest levels, and this is ongoing.' The opposition also holds a trump card over its rival in Kuala Lumpur: It is in the federal government's interest not to do anything to spook investors. Yet another advantage is the fact that the leaders of the PKR-DAP-PAS coalition have professional experience. PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim was the former deputy prime minister, finance minister and education minister. PAS vice-president Husam Musa, an economist who worked in a bank and who now runs the state finances of Kelantan, is fully involved in helping the opposition coalition build up its strength in the four states. New Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng is an accountant by training and had worked in a bank. And the PKR candidate for the Selangor menteri besar's post, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, headed national equity fund Permodalan Nasional and plantation-property company Kumpulan Guthrie for many years. Foreign investors are not unduly worried about the changes, said Mr Vincent Leusner, president of the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce, which groups 800 companies. 'I don't think the landscape of investments in Malaysia would change much,' he told The Straits Times. 'I don't think anybody is frightened.' OPTIMISTIC 'I don't think the landscape of investments in Malaysia would change much. I don't think anybody is frightened.' MR VINCENT LEUSNER, president of the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce
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The Blogs 
working overtime for Khairy to notice for promo to Group editor in chief....with your OPPOSITION WEAK THEME??...as I have said my Kindy son year book would not even ask you to proof Read!!...& its not working because you work for NSTP!!
Opposition cannot govern state lah BODOH....Learn new word COALITION of PKR,DAP,PAS in 5 states.