Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

The BN government is in utter panic and chaos. That can be seen from their high-handed action to invoke the Internal Security Act against journalists and Oppositionists. If it is true that Anwar Ibrahim has been bluffing all along, why play into his trap with such high-handed and clearly unpopular action?

Any dispute professional would tell you that the key to disputes is the preparation. And what do we prepare for? The long and short is that we prepare for the worst. If we have made the preparations, and we have a strong BATNA, then the likelihood of the dispute turning out in our favour or to our eventual advantage is much higher.

By taking such high-handed action, the UMNO/BN government has shown that they do not know how to prepare for a dispute. Perhaps 50 years of comfortable rule has dulled their fighting instincts. They are too used to getting things their way. If they know how to prepare for the worst, they should have worked out that there is a possibility they may have to work with a PR government, and arresting Oppositionists and journalists on the eve of the takeover is probably the worst foundation one can lay for effective comeback in the future.

May BN rest in peace.