MARCH 27 — “It’s a cruel and random world, but the chaos is all so beautiful.” — Hiromu Arakawa

A Manga artist unusually kick-starts our preview of April for Malaysia; but when the most colourful national party has an election almost four years after the last one bewildered everyone for its ambition and multiple failures; at a time an aviation nightmare goes into wreckage gathering mode in the Indian Ocean after a futile “search and rescue” effort in the tropics; then even the first visit of a serving United States of America president in close to 50 years competes for attention, in that case Japanese comics fall right in.

PKR campaigns, Australia hosts the search for MH370 debris and President Barack Obama is almost certain of stepping out of Air Force One and breathe the air of Sepang; April won’t be short of headlines.

Tropicana decides

There are two reasonable oddities on the straight road holding two blocks which make Merchant Square which starkly faces the NKVE Damansara tollbooth plaza.

One the premium priced Indian restaurant at Media Hotel, at one corner and the other Pushmore Gym almost at the other end.

While reporters loathe the cost of media coverage at Media Hotel, young people in a variety of outfits, mostly not displeasing, drag pieces of metal intent on tempo and intensity in the opposite direction of the news-mob.

Both set of emotions are in rich vein at the PKR Headquarters in the middle.

March events have changed the tone of the elections, with nominations slated to begin Saturday March 29, 2014.

An expected, the new Selangor assemblyman cum state administrator becoming the president of the party has dramatically shape-shifted to an augmented present: the leadership of the party to be retained by the same person on the letterheads since 1999 with the addition of her having a state seat in PKR’s strongest hold.

This spells the non-demise of Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as a key icon of the party, and her husband Anwar Ibrahim having to continue in the same capacity as he has since leaving prison 10 years ago.

Which ramps up the open contest for the deputy presidency — between incumbent Gombak MP Azmin Ali and “hard to figure out” Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim. There are whispers of a third name in the hat — mindful there was a three way fight in 2010 — riding on the divided support for two men from the same playing field.

While PAS has cleric restraints and DAP has only high-level scrambles, partner PKR is indeed the party of thousands of active participants. They are true democrats, they always disagree. When it comes to electing leaders both local and national, then everyone starts to use their voices, louder by the day or every shout.

For a general public fed on Pakatan news, they want to know how things will pan out for NEP-born leaders like Nurul Izzah Anwar, Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

Nurul Izzah is already vice-president and appears safe but whether Rafizi, the strategy chief, gets the nod for an elected position finally will reveal his grassroots stature. He won’t mind edging out in this race departing Youth (AMK) chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin who apparently benefited hugely from Rafizi not challenging him in 2010. It would sting double if Shamsul Iskandar uses his two terms in charge of AMK to boost his young voters numbers on polling days and deny Rafizi’s national plug enough traction among the 500,000 numbers.

More so, if Tian Chua wants to retain his post, then the VP race will be keenly followed.

While PKR has never elected an Indian as VP — though one is always anointed by the president — it remains an anomaly since race demographics in the party weigh heavily for Indians (In 2010 it was claimed by some that almost half the members were from the ethnic group who officially only represent 7.7 per cent of the population). The votes, however, struggle to cope with the multiple candidates who forward their names for the post, with some of them historically leaving in a huff thereafter.

Still, all candidates would do much worse than learning a few Tamil phrases.

The three batches of voting, week after week from April 25 to May 11 nationwide with Klang Valley (Selangor and Kuala Lumpur) casting ballots in the last weekend, may allow for regional players from beyond Selangor to pile up early numbers before Week Three. Giving them every chance to upset the odds.

There will be low voter turnout, and naturally a substantial number not aware that they can vote, and conversely a substantial number showing up only to be told they can’t vote. In 2010, the electoral roll was in shambles.

A functional get out the vote campaign strategically emphasised, coupled with a social media plan, will turn also-rans to strong competitors. Good luck to all my friends, I do hope my name does appear on the electoral roll when Hulu Langat votes in the final weekend.

A member of a rescue team looks through binoculars during a search and rescue operation to find the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, in the Straits of Malacca March 14, 2014. — Reuters pic

The continuing search for MH370

The anger and anguish of this week will give way to reflection and family huddles next week. Human condition requires process not permanent paralysis to survive. The bitterness will always remain, so should the memories. But all people move on.

For now, there is no more SAR (Search and Rescue) — the “rescue” component has been terminated. The prime minister’s announcement also not immediately, altered the urgency and theme of the operations in the Indian Ocean.

Only truth can be salvaged if any debris is in possession. This will consume time and energy while yielding low levels of information as the days pass. A major find will reignite attention, but never at the same

The discussions will be less immediate but definitely more open and direct. This may be complicated for the government’s press offices. They don’t think stonewalling unfairly is unfair. This attitudinal disconnect may continue to grate if there are no conscious endeavours to be fair and engaging.

I do believe there is enough lividness among media crews urged on by their international consumers invested to the incident to create small public relations furores if perceptions are mismanaged. Truth is something welcome in a paper, but inconsequential to paper sales unfortunately.

Meanwhile, a number of the victims’ families will file for legal recourses against plane manufacturer and airline, and the payment levels for these incidents are always staggering when compared to other mishaps.

Nothing has been completed here, just that the something to be done and felt will be different in complexion. Someone better brief the acting transport minister.

Obama comes to Kuala Lumpur, probably

The fears that Barack Obama would be associated with the shortcomings of MH370 crisis management has dissipated over the last week. By the end of April when the visit realises itself, it will be the TPPA (Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement) powering the decision matrix.

What Najib Razak would be willing to do for this? Anything and everything really, for a positive trip filled with resplendent pictures may invariably resuscitate Najib’s administration. I can imagine Najib standing at Dataran Merdeka saying “Malaysia can be a more perfect federation” with the cameras rocking back and forth to Obama sitting and nodding to our prime minister. Oh the endorsement!

Look no further than how the administration milked the short session Najib had with Obama in the US in 2011.

What about Obama’s think on the matter, being the first serving president to visit the country in almost half a century? Lyndon B Johnson’s 1966 tour of Malaysia is still talked about as an important national achievement in international relations. The Texan even had time to drop by at my alma mater, The Victoria Institution. I hope Obama does too.

The president wants the TPPA to be his legacy, to increase American presence in the region, albeit in trade.

To sweeten the attraction, aware that the shocking court decision reversing an acquittal and sentencing Anwar to jail at one swoop coupled with the repeated faux pas of Malaysian officials in the MH370 saga may trigger opposition to the trip, Najib may offer — publically or not — major concessions.

Many will be keenly watching this space, and the prime minister may be best advised not to in order to win symbolic endorsements from the first black president forget his own obligation to his voters.

April begins, soon enough

By now many US Secret Service agents would have scurried up and down the outskirts of Dengkil leading to Putrajaya from KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport), to establish a safe route. And in the planning room of PKR’s election chief Johari Abdul, not quite a labyrinth, they are choosing a printing company friendly to the party but not overly friendly or related to major contenders.

Tonight, as it will be the case many nights to come, hundreds of tired searchers sleep after another day of looking for clues for a flight beguiling even to the keenest minds.

April awaits, with showers but no storms in store, I dare hope for. Less chaos please, even if it is beautiful, for it is dastardly beauty.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.