After Fairus’ failure, Mansor will have to deliver

The newly sworn-in Penang Deputy Chief Minister 1 (DCM1) Mansor Othman has a major burden placed on him to prove himself as the most senior PKR leader in Pakatan Rakyat state government.

Mansor, the PKR state deputy leader, knows that he has got to perform to the high expectations of his party and Pakatan leaderships to finally lay rest the ghost of his predecessor Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin.

“I know it will be challenging times ahead. But I am confident that I can deliver,” he told journalists after taking oath as the DCM before the state governor Abdul Rahman Abbas today.

Mansor will have to convince the skeptical Pakatan members and Penangites that PKR has finally produced a capable and effective Malay leader in the state.

The failure of Fairus to reach such scale of heights in political performance has undoubtedly put Mansor under the sword almost instantly after he convincingly won the Penanti by-election on Sunday.

Mansor garnered 6,052 votes to win the by-election against the three independent candidates – Aminah Abdullah (392 votes), Nai Khan Ari Nai Keow (494 votes) and Kamarul Ramizu Idris (56 votes).

But that was an easier task given that it was helped by Pakatan top leaders and a well oiled machinery headed by PKR election director Saifuddin Nasution as well as by the absence of Barisan Nasional.

Mansor must now deliver to keep Umno at bay. Otherwise, PKR will be accused of abandoning the Malays, who form some 43 percent of the Penang population.

The newly appointed DCM, has promised to be a Malay leader for all, not just to Malays.

How he will juggle his dual role as a Malay state government leader on one hand and a multi-racial deputy chief minister remains to be seen.

A temporary ceasefire assured

Mansor’s appointment will ensure that a ceasefire, albeit temporarily, on the internal politicking in Penang PKR under the leadership of Bayan Baru parliamentarian Zahrain Mohd Hashin.

The internal politicking reared its ugly head during the Fairus’s under-performed tenure as the DCM 1 and Penanti assemblyperson.
The politicking culminated with Fairus’ resignation as DCM 1 on March 8 and Penanti assemblyperson on April 1.

The administrative experience, political foray, and academic qualifications of Mansor has injected confidence in certain local Pakatan leaders that the former associate professor from Universiti Sains Malaysia was up to the task.

But they implied that Mansor would surely be under public scrutiny given that he was a direct replacement for Fairus, handpicked by PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim.

“He got to perform to our high expectations.

“He will have to deliver for the sake of PKR objectives and agenda,” Zahrain told journalists after Mansor’s swearing-in ceremony.

Mansor’s performance in the state government will also be the yardstick to measure the future success of the party, which currently has 30,000 members in Penang, a huge leap from the pre-general election number of 7,000.

For a start, Mansor has shown he meant business when he came early for his swearing-in ceremony, before many executive councillors and state assemblypersons.

Punctuality has not been a strong attribute of Fairus.

A tough customer

Mansor also showed glimpses of being a tough customer for the media when on the polling day he refused to entertain a reporter’s persistent question on PKR breaching the election laws to ferry voters.

However, Mansor said today he would practice an open door and transparent policy to the media.

PKR state youth chief Yusmadi Yusoff meanwhile assured that his movement would work hand in hand with Mansor to carry out the PKR agenda for the state youth population.

He said the movement can tap on Mansor’s experience and skills to spearhead the newly formed cooperative – Koperasi Muafakat Anak Muda Pulau Pinang – to attain success.

Hinting that PKR members should bury the Fairus ‘ghost’, he said they should now focus on assisting Mansor to deliver the long undelivered PKR agenda to the people of Penang.

“Let’s bygones be bygones and look ahead to the future.

“We have a new man at helm. We should capitalise on it,” said Yusmadi, the Balik Pulau parliamentarian.

Athi Veeranggan, Mkini