Can we breathe a sigh of relief that the Perikatan Nasional government has gone? Or has it just left the stage temporarily; is it just down but not out?
Bersatu wanted caretaker Prime Minister Mahiaddin Yasin, to be made “minister mentor” – to do what exactly was not specified. Why? He was a backdoor prime minister, so why should such a position be given to him? What a silly idea!
As for the race to become prime minister, Ismail Sabri has the backing of Umno – never mind that he did not obey party rules and resign from his post as deputy prime minister.
Anwar Ibrahim is representing Pakatan Harapan and the other parties that are in the opposition.
All the statutory declarations have been sent to the King for his perusal. He has met the relevant people to get a better view of where each MP and party stands.
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Tomorrow, the Conference of Rulers will meet to discuss who will be the best person to lead Malaysia out of this mess. In the meantime, we wait.
The trillion-ringgit question is whether the new prime minister will be able to command the respect of the people, leave political ambitions aside and get the country out of this pandemic.
The King’s message – to “create a new political landscape” – means exactly that: put a stop to the endless bickering and put the needs of the people and the country first.
Once the new prime minister is chosen, all parties will have to knuckle down and work together so that the country can be governed effectively and efficiently.
Perhaps we will have a prime minister leading a ‘unity government’ of sorts and, if that happens, hopefully, it will be as bipartisan as possible.
What are the hopes of the people if such a ‘unity government’ is formed? It would be the right time to put an end to the politics of race and religion.
Is the politics or race and religion the only way for Malaysian politics to survive? It was the modus operandi for the old generation of politicians, some of whom should retire already.
Will the new prime minister and his government bring in fresh blood, ie more up-and-coming politicians from the youth wings who are more knowledgeable and sensitive towards a new generation of Malaysians? In the same vein, will all the other parties do the same with their youth wings?
Malaysians are tired of the same old faces using the same tired tactics to divide and rule. All this nastiness must stop. This would be the right time – apart from cleaning up the mess from the PN government, which should be the priority. Bring in fresh faces, usher in a new era of honesty and equality, and uphold the rule of law without fear or favour.
The new prime minister must listen to suggestions from the people on the reforms needed. He or she should listen to advice from experts on how to deal with the pandemic. The PM should also figure out how to get the economy back up again.
Whoever the new prime minister will be, he should already have his own manifesto on how and what to do to rebuild Malaysia and not just carry on what the previous prime minister and his coalition government were doing.
The new PM must be able to work with people who have the same ideals, people who are honest and hardworking – not just those who will say ‘yes’ even though the PM is wrong.
Ultimately, we must work towards becoming the nation we were meant to be – with equality, honesty and inclusiveness as our cornerstone.
This was what the late Tunku Abdul Rahman was probably looking at when the idea of Malaysia was first mooted. Maybe, by working to realise this dream, we will finally have the “audacity of hope”.
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
