IF the historic polls of March 8, 2008 did not take place, Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin might have just decided to give up on politics and started down the path of civil activism.

However, the 2008 polls, where Barisan Nasional (BN) lose its two-thirds majority and control of Selangor, Perak, Penang, Kedah and Kelantan, changed Nizar’s fortunes as much as it did the history of the nation.

Prior to full-time politics, Nizar was working as a senior engineer with the Public Works Department and before that, at the Urban Development Authority (UDA) and Penang Development Corporation (PDC).

While the work accorded him a life that was more financially comfortable than that of a politician, Nizar said it was unlikely he would have continued in that career had he not become menteri besar.

“I would have had a little bit of luxury which I would have enjoyed with my family,” he said.

“But to be honest, I felt uneasy with the situation then because I was indirectly exposed to the abuse of power.

“As an engineer, sometimes I would be asked to pay attention to the tenders for the big projects (or) government tenders, to give attention to a few states,” the Changkat Jering assemblyman told The Malaysian Insight.

“I was requested to pay attention to a few companies which they have identified. I do not know who those companies belonged to. Crony A or Crony B, but I was instructed as an engineer who made an analysis to the tender to make some judgments which made me felt guilty.”

It was this sense of moral bearing that led him into politics and, Nizar said, he might have moved on to a civil society if life as a politician didn’t pan out.

“If 2008 did not happen, I might use other methods or other platforms to voice my dissatisfaction,” said Nizar, who is now Perak Amanah deputy chairman and Perak Pakatan Harapan election director.

Short-lived MB stint

While he is most widely remembered as the Perak menteri besar who was dethroned after only 11 months, among locals, his leadership during that time is a memorable one.

Nizar was Perak menteri besar from March 2008 until February 2009. In January 2009, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Perak which comprised of DAP, PKR and PAS collapsed after four assemblymen announced they were leaving the coalition.

The four who left PR included Bota assemblyman Nasarudin Hashim, who re-joined Umno after joining PKR on January 25, 2009.

The other three – Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (PKR-Behrang); Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu (PKR-Changkat Jering) and Hee Yit Foong (DAP-Jelapang) – said they would act as independent representatives aligned to BN.

But while some wrote off Nizar’s political career, the former PAS member won the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat just two months after he was overthrown, in a by-election in April 2009.

He defeated a BN candidate by 2,789 votes.

Ready for Pakatan-led government  

While his stint as menteri besar was short, Nizar said he continues to enjoy support from Perak folk he meets.

This has led him to believe that Perak is ready for change at the next general election.

“The people’s support and mood for me as well as Pakatan Harapan to take over the Perak government is more than before.

“They want Pakatan Harapan (PH) to rule Perak again to continue the delayed work. This is due to what they have learned and what they have received from friends or family members living in Penang or Selangor.

“They see that the people in Selangor are enjoying the benefits compared with them in Perak.

“They felt like they could have enjoyed what the people in Selangor and Perak get if Pakatan stayed on.” – March 9, 2018.