The flow of the election process is going well for the rakyat.

Umno is still in tatters with KJ not knowing where his seat will be, the loud voiced Annuar Musa reminding that he can still contribute, Ismail Sabri having to resort to reminding people to appoint him as PM and the ‘tak malu’ attempt of Tajuddin to kiss Zahid’s hand show that the Cabinet Cluster is in deep trouble, as I predicted.

The sentiment of the Malays among my friends who were staunch supporters of Umno and PAS seem to have wavered with disgust at the corruption issues, Zahid’s statement about winning election to avoid prosecution and Azalina’s statement that seems to say that the AG should be appointed to favor the PM and his party.

PAS seems to quiet down after the communist nonsense statement from Hadi and rumblings is still heard about rejoining Umno after all the nasty things their leader has hurled at poor Umno.

Anwar seems to be playing an excellent role of the magnanimous Malay and the generous Muslim at gestures by Mahathir and his coalition as well as other Malay Muslim parties to perhaps join forces to defeat Umno.

Anwar knows that PH and its electoral pact can mount an impressive assault without the help of Tun M and company but with the help of all the rakyat dedicated to reclaim Malaysia back from the bigots, racist and extremist politicians after the Sheraton Move.

So, all in all, things are going pretty well for the rakyat and the PH. There is, however, one small matter that the PH should consider in order to complete the faith that the rakyat now have of the PH leaders and that is the matter of three seats by the Gerak Independent group.

I am therefore writing this article in the hope that the PH could support three of the GI candidates namely, Tawfik Tun Dr. Ismail, Siti Kassim and Dr. KJ John.

When Gerak Independent was formed, I was one of its proponents. However, I dropped out because I felt that I had not finished my responsibilities to my children yet.

I had suggested to my three friends that unless GI had 20 credible candidates, no political coalition would consider giving way to them.

I had also reminded my friends that it was not good to run down the political parties and say that they are not relevant and are destroyers of true democracy and the concept of citizen representation.

I said in many meetings that party politics is here to stay and if GI were to be taken seriously, then it must ‘play politics’ with the parties.

I am as idealistic about politics as the GI candidates but I understand that in war, when you hit the ground, you need to react according to the landscape and the surprises from hidden machine gun nests or snipers.

On the ground, good intention warriors will not be freed from the many decisions that during peacetime one would never contemplate.

There were members of the GI that totally disagreed with me and that was also the reason I left.

However, I know the three individuals personally for several years and their principled intentions are extremely important for the landscape of Malaysia’s politics.

We do need a free voice that would vote from conscience than the party line.

PH will win many seats if the full force of the rakyat backs it and the three independent seats could be the small hole that would trigger the massive crack in a dam that would flood the entire valley of the enemy.

In my career of 34 years, I have always followed my conscience against the policies of the universities that I found narrow-minded, self-serving and totally devoid of a sense of contribution to society.

Tawfik, Siti and KJ John have spent a great deal of their lives working for the community and championing humanistic stands against the stupidity, callousness and inhumane issues propped up by our self-serving civil institutions and politicians.

The three GI candidates have all been tested in trials by fire many times and they emerged unscathed but more determined and stronger.

I, personally, would trust them with the lives of my grandchildren without hesitation. If I can say that, then there is nothing more I need as proof of their sincerity, integrity and resoluteness.

I would also like to remind PH that it was Rafizi who fired the imagination of Malaysians to apply to be GE15 candidates under the PKR.

If I am not mistaken, Rafizi may have mentioned five seats.

This is a strategic, inspiring and generous offer that no political party like Umno or PAS could ever imagine. However, that plan was not to be as the dissolution was called early when Ismail succumbed to Zahid’s pressure.

Thus, I call upon Rafizi and the PH to allow three seats for Tawfik, Dr. KJ John and Siti as true representatives of the rakyat. These three do not have a strong election machinery and they have never asked for it because they are known to many Malaysians.

However, in Malaysia, the traditional walkabout, handshaking and ceramah are still the best ways to convince voters who like to look up close and personal at their candidates.

I do think that it would be a boon and a strong strategy for PH to adopt in allowing these three seats.

Tawfik Tun Dr. Ismail has made an incredibly swift move like the German Blitzkrieg on the Big Man of Umno himself.

He went straight for the jugular and we can see that Zahid is floundering. That is a seasoned politician who single-handedly rocked the massive boat of Umno.

Imagine what Tawfik could do if PH backs him. Zahid…could actually fall!

At the moment, Zahid is trapped and leaving his traditional seat is no longer an option as he would be considered a coward. Thus, Tawfik had drawn first blood and PH could either sit on the side or provide him with more weapons to bleed the leader who, according to Tawfik, had corrupted the decent and honest sense of being Malay or maruah Melayu.

I think, strategically, morally and politically, it would be a huge mistake for PH to ignore the three GI candidates and place their own candidates which would see the loss of both the PH and Malaysians.

The PH will win many seats if the full force of the rakyat backs it and the three independent seats could be the small hole that would trigger the massive crack in a dam that would flood the entire valley of the enemy to win this war for our dignity, safety and honor as Malaysians.

(Prof Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi is Professor of Architecture at a local university and his writing reflects his own personal opinion entirely.)