Pakatan Harapan has been refreshed but it is still bickering over its new marriage, instead of working hard to bring politics to the people, observes WH Cheng.
In our nation’s current situation, it looks as if Barisan Nasional (BN) is the only coalition of political parties to be ‘reckoned’ with as the other political parties or political coalitions seem to be always bickering and ‘unstable’.
This is what the BN and its leaders are trying to emphasise to the people, confusing them between the so-called labelling of their ‘stability’ and others’ ‘instability’. BN is now playing hardball with such words to ensure the people are distracted from the BN’s various financial scandals and corruption.
On the other hand, the opposition parties too are not in a good position as they have been politicking continually all this while instead of projecting themselves as an alternative government-in-waiting by developing their policy-making and holding debates which benefit the people, the economy and the entire nation.
The BN has also opted for racial and religious extremism to drum up support as a way to cover up their various financial scandals and corrupt activities, by claiming that a particular race and a particular religion were under siege. In fact, the BN has no more ideas on how to run this nation and to tackle the various socio-economic crises that are hitting the people so hard.
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Opposition parties in Pakatan Harapan, which was reborn from the demise of Pakatan Rakyat, are bickering among themselves over the new opposition coalition. Their former ally, Pas, is trying its best to discredit rival Islamist party Amanah and the DAP while doing all it can to instigate the PKR to dismantle the new Pakatan.
We applaud the DAP’s initiative to establish a shadow cabinet to oversee the BN government’s administration but the shadowing business has not yielded any results till today. None of those DAP shadow spokespersons have ever come forward with their checks and balances points and alternative policies, other than their popular shadow finance minister Tony Pua, who has gained much credit in exposing and questioning several financial irregularities in the BN government while trying hard to pressure the administration to repent its sins.
On the other hand, the Left Coalition (Gabungan Kiri), led by Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), is focusing on its grassroots building, preferring to do its good job offline and unnoticed. It has been gaining momentum among the poor and underprivileged.
BN dangerously corrupt, destructive to the nation
But the PSM has yet to score electoral points among the middle class who are still left wondering who the PSM is.
Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM), the oldest surviving leftist party in this nation and relatively unknown to the electorate, is still down following its humiliating defeat in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election, following infighting and factional disputes. The PRM occasionally issues press releases to various media on certain issues but has failed to gain any attention so far.
At the end of the day, the people cannot get the best out of this. The BN is dangerously corrupt and destructive to the nation. It is working round the clock to take politics away from the people. Pakatan Harapan has been refreshed but it is still bickering over its new marriage, instead of working hard to bring politics to the people. Worse, a splinter party may yet emerge from PKR and jeopardise the newborn opposition coalition.
As for the other opposition parties, they are far from convincing. The setback of these smaller opposition parties is their lack of policy factors, debates and presentations to project themselves as a viable alternative to the people. Just laying out their manifestos during general elections is an ineffective way to convince the people to vote for them.
Our nation is in dire straits. Our nation desperately needs reforms. But there is no dependable alternative political force to rival the strong-armed bully-type ruling BN coalition and drive our nation out of all the economic ruins that have cost the nation billions of ringgit, thus affecting the people’s wellbeing and the social order.
At least Greece has Syriza now to try and rectify the damage done by the previous ruling parties, but our nation is still heading nowhere right now. So, to all politicians, what is next for the people and this nation?
It is time for our people to resume politics today, rather than sit back waiting while nothing moves.
Source: beritadaily.com
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
