Pakatan Harapan needs to reflect on recent decisions

The nation has been going through various challenges over the past two years.

Many Malaysians feel the Perikatan Nasional government failed miserably in containing Covid.

Cases have gone up, the death toll has increased and a lockdown has not brought about the desired results except hardships and job losses.

There were also voices pleading for the opposition and the government to call a ceasefire and work together for the benefit of the people.

Ultimately, when he lost his parliamentary majority, Mahiaddin Yasin resigned.

With divergent views across the country, as stated above, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he had numbers to form the government, creating great expectation among supporters that there would be a change.

This is not something new: the same tactics were used when Barisan Nasional lost its two-thirds majority in the 2008 general election.

In all this manoeuvring, nothing concrete came out, and the latest inability to gain the required majority speaks volumes about the credibility of Anwar’s claims.

Pakatan Harapan must sit down and reflect on its decisions, which seem to be poor and lacking strategic insights. Is the coalition still dependent on a single leader who has closed the door on any emerging new leaders within his ranks?

The DAP should reflect on why its supporters have high expectations, when in reality the foundational aspect of Malay polity is still conservative and the most DAP can expect in the current context is to work on common ground. This could have brought about a dimension of bipartisan leadership, turning a new leaf of how the DAP is perceived among its critics, what more in a pandemic.

This is why Tony Pua’s suggestion should have been taken seriously, since the next general election could be called next year. Mahiaddin could have been made accountable if he had failed to deliver on the reforms he promised. Yet, was this torpedoed by Anwar’s ambitions to become prime minister? Has PH underestimated the support it had in Parliament?

Perhaps the formation of the new government might offer an olive branch, perhaps more than the previous government. However, it could be another face of the previous incompetent government.

In the meantime, it is critical for PH to take a discerning look within itself and examine the decisions it made with little foresight. Has the opposition coalition brought an unreformed Umno and the kleptocrats back to power? – The Malaysian Insight

The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.

AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama

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