On 14 May, the ruling coalition-of-coalitions held its inaugural ‘unity government’ national convention at the Putra World Trade Centre.
Leaders and representatives from 19 political parties, most of them from the four major coalitions in power, attended the convention.
They must have hoped the show of unity would quell swirling rumours that the Anwar Ibrahim-led government was unstable.
Talk was rife about a purported conspiracy to get disgruntled ruling coalition MPs to vacate their seats and force a string of by-elections – and in the process destabilise the unity government.
The instability triggered by the “Sheraton move” in February 2020 is still fresh in the memory of many Malaysians.
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Many of us do not want a Sheraton move 2.0 and so voters should punish the plotters behind the original move at the ballot box. Politicians should focus on nation-building instead of plotting.
In his keynote address, Anwar highlighted some positive national economic indicators. Malaysia posted economic growth of 5.6% in the first quarter of 2023. Unemployment fell to 3.5% in March 2023 compared to 4.1% in the same month a year ago. Inflation eased to 3.5% in March compared to 3.7% in January and February.
These statistics sound impressive, but how relevant are they to the person on the street, the average pakcik and makcik (uncle and aunt)? How sustainable is this growth when countries throughout the world are facing difficult times?
To be fair, no government can prove its worth within six months of assuming power. We need to wait longer before we can have a better idea of the government’s performance.
From Anwar’s pronouncements so far, he appears to be serious in tackling social issues afflicting the nation’s poor. He wants to eliminate hardcore poverty: such poverty, he says, should not exist in a resource-rich country like Malaysia.
Figures on income inequality show there is a vast chasm between the rich and the poor. As with most capitalist countries, the minority rich control a large chunk of the nation’s wealth and resources. In 2019 Malaysia had a Gini coefficient of 0.407, suggesting high income inequality. (The Gini coefficient ranges between 0 and 1 where 0 represents total equality and 1 total inequality.)
Much more needs to be done to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor. The theory that wealth created would “trickle down” to the masses does not work in practice.
In urban areas, especially large cities, members of the gig economy face economic hardship. Hawkers, street vendors and small stallholders suffer from poor sales. Farmers, smallholders and fisherfolk are also struggling to make ends meet. For them, economic growth figures and reduced inflation rates mean little.
This is the challenge that the unity government has to tackle head on. Anwar recognises the existence of these problems. He has declared that the thrust of Malaysia Madani (Civil Malaysia) is to look after the needs of everyone, especially those most in need.
But we cannot expect the PM to shoulder this responsibility on his own. The entire cabinet must be on the same page as the PM, placing their shoulders to the wheel to achieve set goals. Elected representatives, both state and federal, also have key roles to play.
Those MPs and state assembly members supporting the unity government should work hard to serve their constituents. They must lead by example. For a start, they should view themselves as Yang Berkhidmat, ie elected representatives who really serve their constituents.
We must be able to see our elected representatives genuinely serving us. We don’t want elected representatives who are seen only during election campaigns. After winning their seats in the last election, they owe it to their constituents to serve them.
Anwar has stressed that for the unity government to work, all stakeholders must put in a collective effort.
The current unity government comprises coalitions and parties that had been on opposite sides of the political divide. Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional fought each other bitterly in last November’s general election. But now they find themselves partners in the unity government. This is partly why some sceptics believe the unity government will not last.
Anwar himself has urged everyone in the government to put aside their differences and work together to improve the people’s lot. He has called for unity within the unity government.
In many ways, Anwar is walking a tightrope as prime minister: he is in the unenviable position of having to balance the demands of the various coalitions and parties in power with the people’s aspirations.
He needs to ensure his government receives continued support from Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Warisan, apart from his own coalition, Pakatan Harapan. Power distribution is a delicate matter and satisfying the demands of all parties is an arduous task. There must be give and take.
The indications are the prime minister cannot always have it his way. The appointment of politicians to head government-linked companies or agencies can be controversial.
A proposal to appoint the ex-Baling MP from Umno, Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, as the chair of the Kedah Regional Development Authority drew much flak. In fact, Umno president Zahid Hamidi announced the appointment, but Anwar felt compelled to intervene, saying the government has not yet made a decision.
Larry Sng, the president of Parti Banga Malaysia, was appointed to chair the Malaysian Timber Industry Board.
Umno secretary general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki was appointed Mara chairperson.
Some of these appointments appeared to contradict the principles of good governance.
To his credit, Anwar has been consistent in championing the fight against corruption at all levels. He has urged enforcement agencies such as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the police to act without fear or favour. He has said many times there will be no compromise in the war against rampant corruption, pointing out that it aggravates poverty in the country.
Agreeing with the PM, commentator Francis Paul Siah observed that “corruption can exacerbate poverty and when corruption is rampant … resources that should be allocated towards addressing poverty – such as funds for education, healthcare and infrastructure – can be diverted or stolen by those in power”.
Think tank Emir Research recently released a report on corruption in Malaysia. The report highlights that Malaysia lost an estimated RM4.5 trillion due to corruption and related opportunity costs over the last 26 years.
It’s an astonishing figure. Imagine if we had prevented these ‘leakages’ – our country would have been in a much healthier financial position. Malaysia’s national debt stands at an alarming RM1.5tn. Imagine, if we had prevented the theft and leakages, we could have been debt-free; how much more prosperous the country could have been!
Despite the many limitations and challenges, the PM is working hard to revive the country’s economy. He has given special focus to poorer states like Kelantan, even though it is governed by the opposition party Pas. Flooding is a perennial problem in Kelantan, and Anwar has announced a large budget for flood mitigation projects.
So the question is should we continue to support the unity government led by Anwar? Before we answer this, let’s take a cursory look at what the opposition parties are offering.
Bersatu has been playing up issues of race and religion. Its leaders allege the ethnic Malays are worse off with this unity government.
Pas has joined hands with Dr Mahathir Mohamad and other figures from the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition to sign a “Malay proclamation”. The proclamation aims to get all Malays to rally behind the anti-Anwar forces.
The latest issue being used to rile up religious sentiments is whether non-Muslims can use the word Allah.
Six states – Penang, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu – are due to hold their state elections in mid-2023.
Many have talked up a “green wave”, especially in the Pas-dominated Malay-Muslim areas. If the parties in the unity government fare poorly in the state elections, momentum will switch to the side of PN and that could destabilise the federal government.
Voters need to discern and cast their votes wisely.
To me, the choice is simple. The current unity government led by Anwar is far from ideal. But given the toxic and divisive politics promoted by the opposition, my answer to the burning question (in the title) is yes, give the unity government more time to prove its worth.
Henry Loh
Co-editor, Aliran newsletter
20 May 2023
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
What alternative is there? Better to support a known alliance that is inclusive though many cracks are obvious. Cannot afford in a multi racial country like ours to risk putting in power one which is exclusively based on race and religion.