By jem
The negative comments and remarks exchanged among politicians from some parties within the ‘unity government’ must stop.
This constant bickering will not have a positive effect on the state elections in Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang, Kedah, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor.
How are these parties supposed to entice voters to believe in the unity government when their ministers are constantly bickering? They are only giving more leverage to the Perikatan Nasional parties, which are allowing the unity government parties to destroy themselves.
Ex-Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the alliance between the Pakatan Harapan coalition and the Barisan Nasional coalition in the unity government is like a “forced marriage” that will soon break up.
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This comment resulted in Umno (BN) and DAP (PH) leaders throwing brickbats at each other.
Does Ismail Sabri know something that will cause a breakup of this forced marriage? He is in Umno and must have his ears to the ground to come up with such a statement, don’t you think?
But what seems to have slipped from Ismail Sabri’s mind is that he was the Prime Minister then and the one who ‘pushed’ the King to have an early general election – which Umno-Barisan Nasional lost hands down!
PH did not have enough seats to form a government on its own, and so, on the advice of the King, a unity government of sorts was born.
Ismail Sabri has also conveniently forgotten that a majority of MPs supported the current Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, who won a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives in December 2022.
Many wonder whether the bickering between ministers is aimed at deflecting the minds of the public from Umno’s petition for a royal pardon for Najib Razak – which, as de facto law minister Azalina Othman Said put it rather laughably and pathetically, is now in “the court of compassion”.
Actually, I have been wondering, why should Najib be given a royal pardon? I wish somebody could give me an answer to this profound question.
Will this ‘court of compassion’ also be the avenue for other politicians who run afoul of the law to turn to? Will the Malaysian rule of law be a farce should Najib receive a royal pardon?
Of course, we should not forget that, with Aidilfitri around the corner, Umno must be hoping for Najib to be pardoned and enfolded into the bosom of his family this Raya. What a coup for Umno president Zahid Hamidi this would be, and what a great sob story it would be for the Najib family.
But has anyone ever thought about those ordinary criminals who are not important enough to receive a royal pardon as a ‘get out of jail’ card?
Hopefully, the King and the Pardons Board panel will take into consideration what many ordinary people have said about this “court of compassion” or royal pardon petition and act and decide accordingly.
Whether the panel is being fair and truthful is how its members will be judged ultimately. So, think wisely!
Instead of all this nonsensical sniping, politicians ought to look into the high cost of living and how best to solve it. Have any of these ministers gone down to their local markets to check on the prices of basic household items? I doubt it. Check these places out, compare prices, maybe even talk about the problem with their spouses or kitchen helpers in their homes, and then come up with reasonable, well-thought-out ideas on how to assist the public in these difficult times.
Politicians ought to focus on the Covid comeback. According to the Ministry of Health, the number of cases increased by 87.5%, hospital admissions recorded an increase of 30.5% and deaths due to Covid rose by 25%. Some experts suggest that the public wear face masks in crowded places and maintain social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus. This is especially so as the festive season is here, and thousands of people are travelling and visiting friends and relatives during this time.
Hopefully, all these politicians who have nothing useful to say or do to help the public will cease and desist all their negative chatter.
The Muslim community will soon celebrate Aidilfitri, and others will celebrate with them. So let this be a time of peace, harmony and goodwill for everyone, irrespective of race, religion and culture.
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!
jem is a regular follower of Aliran
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
All this bickering comes down to The up coming state elections. The selfish politicians want to create the usual DAP at fault so PH should be brought down. But Nur …… yapping as if he is the greatest politician on earth. What else is new?