The die is cast. The gauntlet has been thrown down.
Umno decided at its recent convention that it would not tango with Bersatu at the next general election, nor would it play footsie with Pakatan Harapan or the DAP.
But until then, the party would still be in the Bersatu-led Perikatan Nasional government!
Umno members serving as ministers, deputy ministers and chairpersons of government-linked companies would quit their positions by August, so said the party’s election director, Tajuddin Abdul Rahman. Apparently, they would withdraw their support for the PN government in August if the prime minister failed to dissolve Parliament by then.
But this same gentleman also said Umno could work with the DAP in the future if the latter becomes more moderate – even though the Umno president had said that no such collaboration would take place.
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So, who is to be believed? There is many a slip between the cup and the lip.
What will happen in August if the Umno ministers pull out of the PN government? Would we see the fall of the PN government? An announcement to end the state of emergency? A general election? With those questions hanging in the air, the media have so much to report.
Many have commented about Pas doing its level best to strengthen its collaboration with PN.
Others are saying Umno can go it alone, as it is strong enough to win the general election.
Still others are saying Umno’s chances are iffy because of the kind of leaders it has. Some of its big guns are facing corruption and money laundering charges while others have their own personal agendas. What else is new….
To be fair, we, the people, are also at fault. We have been so brainwashed and bamboozled by these politicians that many of us have adopted a tidak apa (couldn’t care less) attitude.
We know many politicians have been cheating the people and the nation. The level of corruption is immense. We know how they are trying to divide the country and people by nefarious means.
We have been angry and shocked at what they have been doing. But what did we do? Many of us sat back and did nothing, and things returned to square one.
The politicians who cheated the people, left, right and centre, are still up there in positions of power, with not an iota of shame. Their followers are still fawning over them as if they have done nothing wrong. For them, ethics, principles and honesty are meaningless words.
Come next general election, these same politicians will have nothing new to tell us. Religion and race will be their main talking points. They will tell us what they want us to hear, and then it will be the same people running the government again and again. Same old, same old…
We have been cheated of a legitimate government. With the frogs already jumping to bigger lily pads over what deals they can get, who can we trust now?
In Sabah, it has begun. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has voted to join PN. An Upko vice-president has joined Sabah Star. This is nothing unusual in Sabah, by the way.
With this kind of behaviour by elected representatives in the country, who can blame the people for not wanting to vote again?
So what should we do? The power of the people controls the government, or so they say – meaning we, the people, have a role to play. It is a tough call because our needs and our right to a clean, honest and just government get thwarted every time elections come around.
Maybe it is time for the ‘old politicians’ and their ilk who have been around for far too long to exit the stage. The younger generation of politicians must stop hiding behind their elders. Surely they can see what the present leaders have done to the country? Don’t these younger politicians think it is time for them to make a difference?
Maybe, and only maybe then, people might want to vote again in the coming general election and give ourselves a glimmer of hope rather than more hopelessness, frustration and despair.
Jem, an Aliran reader, still cares deeply about Sabah, despite having lived in the peninsula for some time
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
