The Referendum of TAO
Technorati tags: Politics, By Election, Bukit Selambau, Bukit Gantang, Batang Ai
Update @ 1939hrs April 7: Unofficial results in!
With one polling station left to submit their results, BN has won the Batang Ai seat (source: LinaSoo.com). As for the two Bukits, NST is carrying a similar blow-by-blow report of all 3 by-elections. Indications are that for Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau, PAS and PKR (respectively) are in the lead. More later on tonight.
Original Post: 
Well, the day that many have been anticipating is finally here. April 7th, 2009, almost exactly one year and one month since March 8th, 2008.
And while having a breakfast meeting this morning, not far from his office, this image (that you see on the left) presented itself to Walski. It’s one of those chance encounters he had no choice but to take a snapshot of. And of all days, it had to be today.
Two bukits, and one batang… Oi! Oi! Oi! (as his punkster friends would probably scream)
Because he has a regular job to keep, Walski has to remain in KL. But there are those who are on the ground at the three by-election locations. Reporting from the middle of it all.
Haris, from the looks of it, has stationed himself at Bukit Selambau.
Zorro – unmasked – has chosen Bukit Gantang to cover.
And Batang Ai updates can be obtained via Lina Soo (of PKR)’s snazzy live reporting from the thick of N29.
As this goes to post, all of the polling stations have now closed. The results should be known sometime tonight.
In case you were wondering (which means you were actually paying attention), TAO is an acronym that Walski thought of this morning. It stands for The Anointed One. Referring, of course, to you-know-who.
He thought that it’s a catchy acronym that can easily be integrated into all kinds of nifty post titles. Feel free to use it, but be kind enough to credit Walski if you do.
(the TAO referendum, and more, in the full post)
Although many in BN, including the Mighty TAO himself, have publicly stated that the 3 by-elections are not a referendum of any kind on whether or not our new Prime Minister is one that’s okay with the people, just about everybody else outside of BN thinks otherwise. And “just about everyone else” pretty much outnumbers BN.
At least as far as opinions are concerned anyway.
In fact, Walski thinks that it’s one heck of a referendum. And in a few hours, we’ll find out how BN fares in all three. Out of curiosity, if it’s any indication, the opinion poll that Walski put up last week, shows that TAO has an approval rating of about 14%. 28% are uncertain, to varying degrees, while those who are either worried or worse, 58%. Which is not very good for TAO at all.
The prediction thus far by the pundits is that Batang Ai is very likely to be retained by BN, but there is a great chance that the other two Bukits will go to Pakatan Rakyat.
But apart from the fact that Batang Ai is in a very different part of Malaysia geographically, compared with the other two locations, the Sarawak seat issues are also very different. Batang Ai is not so much about TAO, per se, but more about who rules Sarawak, and breaking the BN hegemony there.
Therefore, to Walski, through his observations, the TAO factor applies more to the two Bukits.
And slightly less to the Batang.
But taken as a whole, a definite referendum of TAO. And of BN, for that matter.
