DAP veteran leader Lim Kit Siang has said that it is more urgent for Anwar Ibrahim to consolidate the opposition before the next general election, instead of trying to topple the Perikatan Nasional government.
His statement makes sense because the very obsession to topple a government through cajoling opportunistic MPs to jump ship seems centred on a particular leader’s individualistic ambition and moves that tend to override the consensus aspect of coalition politics.
It begs the question: is coalition politics in Pakatan Harapan merely to do with the consensus of its elite leaders, or does it genuinely represent grassroots communities, civil society groups, environmentalists and the marginalised in its national consolidation.
Too much of politicking has blinded PH leaders to the importance of hearing the voice of complex grassroots communities ahead of the next general election.
While it might be too late, it is vital for PH leaders to envision an innovative approach to how it elects its leadership, especially its candidate for prime minister, in the future.
In the Malaysian scenario, it is about electing a prime minister who has a broader support among the community. It would need brainstorming among the enlightened intellectuals and community leaders in the coalition. PH should evolve to create more leaders who are ready to take over country instead of depending on a single leader who seems to be less answerable to the grassroots communities.
It is time PH creates a broad-based leadership in the coalition by bringing its best leaders to helm Malaysia in the years to come.
What the people need is leadership that emerges from the grassroots level and not elite and urban-driven leaders that characterise much of the current PH leadership.
Reforms should start from within the leadership, which respects grassroots aspirations and its complex web of political reasoning, before one could envision consolidation and a distinctive alternative.
Source: The Malaysian Insight
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