By jem
Open houses held for family and friends are such a norm for all festivals.
This is especially so for this Raya season after the pandemic, when friends and families gather to share the wonderful occasion.
What was quite funny was the way various politicians perceived the open houses held in the states of Selangor, Kelantan, Terengganu, Negeri Sembilan, Penang and Kedah.
Yes, there were ulterior motives, and it would be stupid to think otherwise, but what was the big deal, anyway? These states are going to have their elections, and the opposition parties will also indulge in their own ‘chit-chat’ during these open houses.
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It is happening on both sides of the coin, so to speak, so it is disingenuous for the opposition parties to give the idea that they are not doing the same!
Lately, when reading what the various local papers and various pundits have to say about the ‘staying power’ of the “unity government”, it sometimes seems like all doom and gloom.
For instance, rumours have swirled about a conspiracy to topple the government, that about 10 MPs are planning to quit their parties to invoke the anti-hopping law, which would cause their seats to be vacated, forcing by-elections.
It is also said that these state elections would test the prime minister’s mettle – whether he and his unity government will be successful in winning the elections in the six states or lose them to the opposition bloc.
Currently, three of these states are controlled by Pas, which is part of the opposition Perikatan Nasional coalition, and the other three are led by the prime minister’s Pakatan Harapan coalition and its allies.
Annuar Musa, sacked from Umno recently, is currently the president of the Muafakat Nasional NGO. He had a chat with former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and we understand they plan to team up to unite the Malays and other bumiputras in the country.
Annuar said Mahathir had always been “passionate” when talking about the Malays!
That is quite a telling sentence: Mahathir being passionate when ‘talking’ about the Malays. But what about the actual ‘doing’ for the Malays?
Annuar said they have also come to a consensus to manage the multi-ethnic and multi-religious country together, as they had done so during Mahathir’s tenure as prime minister.
Did he really? That is one for the multi-ethnic and multi-religious communities to figure out!
The Malaysian public should not be surprised if Mahathir decides to also chat with Pas (which leads the so-called “green wave”) and come up with another consensus to do everything to topple the government and especially the Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, who has long been as thorn in his side! [Already Pas president Hadi Awang and several other party leaders have signed the “Malay proclamation” in Mahathir’s presence.]
In Malaysian politics, it would seem that nothing is off limits for one who is determined to achieve one’s own goals!
Meanwhile, the verbal warfare continues, albeit not as clamorous as before, about the royal pardon for convicted former Prime Minister Najib Razak.
The question is, are these verbal exchanges just ploys for their supporters and for public consumption? Is Amanah, a weaker party that is not in Pas’ good books, ‘helping’ Umno to get a foothold in the Pas states of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu?
One also wonders whether Umno really wants Najib to be pardoned, or is it just something that has to be done to be seen to be doing something? Wouldn’t his release be an unwelcome distraction for the Umno-dominated Barisan Nasional coalition, which is trying to win some seats in the coming elections? We will have to wait and see.
What is important right now is the upcoming elections and what the outcome will mean for the unity government.
It is amusing to read Umno president Zahid Hamidi speaking about BN ensuring their candidates were ‘likeable’ to the electorate.
Likeable? Does he think BN’s candidates are boxes of chocolates? It is one thing to highlight BN’s commitment to rejuvenate the party and make it appealing to the younger generation of voters, but isn’t it more important that Umno-BN clean up its own act?
How do you get voters, young or old, to vote for Umno when the party does not allow the top posts in its party election to be contested? The Umno leaders had removed those who did not agree with them or forced them to resign. Remember, Zahid himself also has corruption and money-laundering cases hanging over him!
So come June or July, during the run-up to the state elections, we will see Pas and others in PN using their usual racial rhetoric, as they have nothing else to use.
Hate speech and propaganda will only polarise the country. We can see this happening in various countries around us.
What is equally frightening is that we know this happens and yet we continue to allow these kinds of politicians and parties to continue to be in government.
Malaysia is a multi-religious, multi-racial, multicultural country, and this is the beauty of the land. If we are not careful and allow such rhetoric to surge from time to time, we might end up losing all that Tunku Abdul Rahman wanted and hoped this country to be – a beam of light for others to see, learn from, admire and appreciate.
So, let’s hope that, come the elections in the six states, voters will discern more fully the challenges facing the unity government and the country and read the signs of the times.
Challenges exist to be overcome. So go out and vote, but use your head and not your heart!
jem is the pseudonym of an Aliran reader
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
