Don't worry PKR, what doesn't kill you will make you stronger

Mariam Mokhtar

When Zaid accuses Pakatan of ‘fraud’ and of harbouring ‘cheats’, without furnishing the details then it is he who is being irresponsible. He cannot make baseless accusations. To brand people ‘liars’ in public is a serious charge. He is accountable to the general public and his supporters, within and outside Pakatan.


The path to a true democracy is never easy. We had it once, around the time of independence, but in later years, Umno blew it.

To maintain control, the ISA was used to quieten political dissenters, amongst other things. Money was siphoned from noble causes and used to fund the party’s political elite. Democracy, in the Malaysian context, comes with an enormous human, economic and political price tag.

The most damning comment by Zaid who created havoc in PRK last week was not that he said, “I will be quitting the party…”, or his accusation that the party was guilty of “malpractices and electoral fraud” but his blunt statement, “I am quitting because I want to dissociate myself from liars and cheats. I do not want to be part of a group that propagates lies and does not have any qualms about cheating for as long as the end justifies the means.”

Zaid once impressed people by tendering his resignation from the BN cabinet in 2008 when three prominent people were arrested under the ISA.

At the July launch of ‘Friends of Pakatan Rakyat’ in London, he was reported by an observer to have said, ‘BN rule is like a fascist dictatorship where leaders say and do what they like without question or accountability to law or society’.

At that same event, Zaid also remarked that ‘BN would never be transparent as they have too much to hide’ and even proclaimed that, ‘the next election would bring victory to Pakatan Rakyat because…..we have the people’s heart with us!”

Four months later, it is Zaid who is a victim of his own words. He condemns without realising that he is at least accountable to the voting public.

However, he is right when he says that ‘Pakatan has the people’s heart with us’ - the knowledgeable public knows that when they vote, it is for the party and not for personalities.

Zaid forgets that at this point in time, many Malaysians know that their greatest hope of leading the nation towards a better Malaysia, with a mature democracy and a credible two-party system, is only with Pakatan.

When Zaid accuses Pakatan of ‘fraud’ and of harbouring ‘cheats’, without furnishing the details then it is he who is being irresponsible.

He cannot make baseless accusations. To brand people ‘liars’ in public is a serious charge. He is accountable to the general public and his supporters, within and outside Pakatan.

When Zaid was courted to join Pakatan, was he naïve to think that the top prize was his? He should have swallowed his pride when he discovered his folly.

If Zaid prefers to wash the party’s and his dirty linen in public, then we in the court of public opinion, demand proof of wrongdoing.

Otherwise Zaid should have expressed his dissatisfaction behind closed doors, through the proper channels.

Zaid should keep quiet to limit the damage he has caused. He knows he has inflicted harm on the party, on the democratic spirit and on politics as a whole. Pakatan is a party that appeals to mainly younger voters.

Zaids actions are an act of betrayal and will be off-putting for many younger voters – the people who determine a country’s well-being.

What Zaid may not realise is that he is damaging his own reputation even further. His intransigence is his undoing. He has alienated those who had any regard for him and he has angered others with his uncompromising attitude and stubbornness.

At best he is acting like a spoilt child. At worst he acts like he is the fifth column hell bent on destroying Pakatan.

If Malaysians need reminding, it is not Pakatan which wields the ISA stick to silence us into submission. It is not Pakatan which has policies which alienates its people into clear divisions of race and religion. It is not Pakatan which arrests people for drawing cartoons, for wearing black or for lighting candles in a mark of solidarity.

Anwar may not be perfect (but who is?) and was it not Anwar who energised the movement for reform and inspired a country hungry for change? Did he not lead Malaysians in the ‘political tsunami’ of 8 March? Was it not his efforts that enabled us to get a foot in the Putrajaya door? Are we to abandon all of Anwar’s inroads and be led astray by the childish retort of a man who seems on a vengeful vendetta?

Malaysians can rest assured that Pakatan is still the country’s most viable political party to wrest control from BN. It is not a question of ‘if’, it's a question of ‘when’.

Which other party can help restore our basic civil liberties, freedom and rights? Maybe it is time more of us start getting involved by taking some interest in the future of Malaysia. The opposition can only be as strong as its component members.

Events on 8 March showed that Malaysians were capable of deciding what sort of future they want for themselves. They have survived the first hurdle, the next one may be around the corner and this is no time to be disunited. It is time we regrouped and prepared ourselves for the most important change making decision in our lives.

- Malaysian Mirror