PKR: Parti Keadilan Rempit?

That “Road to Putrajaya” line alone is a sufficiently shocking sign that PKR/Pakatan is dangerously close to losing its way. What do these people imagine so many Malaysians are pinning their hopes on them for? For the prospect of seeing new bums in Putrajaya seats or a fresh set of snouts in the Putrajaya trough? Or because they've had a gutful of BN-style power-tripping and greed and crave their replacement by a whole new breed?

Dean Johns, Malaysiakini

With all the riot and ructions in its ranks recently, PKR is looking a lot more like a mob of mat rempits on the road to Putrajaya than a party heading for a real opportunity to represent the rakyat.

To anyone hoping for PKR/PR to soon put an end to the curse of Barisan Nasional rule, the savage personal in-fighting and alleged irregularities in the elections for positions in the party, and now the defection of heavyweight convert from BN, Zaid Ibrahim (right), has proven a most depressing spectacle.

As was witnessing PKR and PAS losing simultaneous 'bye-elections' a couple of weeks ago in Batu Sapi and Galas. Not that these electoral setbacks were too surprising or even especially disappointing in themselves.

After all, how hard can it be for BN to buy and/or rig elections with its usual blend of bribery and false promises, especially in states like Sabah and Sarawak where its own policies of repression and corruption have kept voters so dirt-poor and ignorant as to be grateful for whatever little scraps of largesse they can get?

And, just in case handouts of cash and trash don't work, BN always has the added assistance of an electoral commission so cowed and collusive that it can be counted on to come up with a spot of roll-rigging or an emergency supply of so-called postal votes.

What has been especially depressing during and since these latest 'buy-elections', however, has been how hard the opposition has apparently been working to make itself look like an unelectable rabble.

From the hypocrisy of PAS doling-out cash to voters at the buy-elections, BN-style, on some pretext like alms or charity, to the PKR – or is it the whole of PR? – spouting the stupid, self-seeking slogan “The road to Putrajaya,” it's been absolutely pathetic.

Lost on the Road to Putrajaya?

That “Road to Putrajaya” line alone is a sufficiently shocking sign that PKR/Pakatan is dangerously close to losing its way. What do these people imagine so many Malaysians are pinning their hopes on them for? For the prospect of seeing new bums in Putrajaya seats or a fresh set of snouts in the Putrajaya trough? Or because they've had a gutful of BN-style power-tripping and greed and crave their replacement by a whole new breed?

Malaysians couldn't give a fig for Putrajaya or whichever politicians occupy the god-forsaken place as long as they're in office not for their own self-importance, power or profit but for the good of the people they represent. But apparently, just as the forces of BN are focused entirely on clinging like grim death to Putrajaya, PR sees its mission as simply replacing them.

In other words, PR appears on its present performance to be as obsessed as BN with power-and ego-tripping in preference to representing the Malaysian rakyat. And urgently needs to return to its roots in reformasi, having been side-tracked, as my old mate Ktemoc recently blogged, into what looks more like deformasi.

It's time for PKR, and indeed all of the parties comprising Pakatan Rakyat, to start demonstrating not just their readiness but also their fitness to replace the rotten BN regime. And that means demonstrating genuine, sincere and above all selfless commitment to both the principles and practice of clean governance and good government.

To aspire to a government of Malaysia not for the greater power and profit of politicians and their cronies, as it's been for far too long under BN, but government, in the true spirit of the oft-quoted but widely-falsified phrase “of the people, by the people, for the people”.

But thus far Pakatan, like BN, increasingly appears to be all talk and no action; all slogans and no substance; all politics and no policies. They appear just as self-interested in their lust for power, and in their apparent inability or unwillingness to declare or demonstrate how they intend to do better.

Certainly the Pakatan state administrations have shown signs of improvement over their BN predecessors. But unfortunately they're also still largely hog-tied by the fact that BN still retains control of federal funds and of every federal agency from the politically-partisan judiciary, police and civil services all the way down to local-government level.

PKR and its partners in Pakatan Rakyat have long criticised this grossly unjust, corrupt and people-unfriendly system, but it seems to me that they have been far from specific about what they plan to do to fix it.

What's the game plan?

To choose an especially daunting task by way of example, what's their strategy for tackling Malaysia's endemic policical corruption? A top-down assault, starting with the ring-leaders and head honchos and working systematically down through the ranks? Or do they imagine they can placate the people with the same rank pretence at reform that BN routinely stages?

And how do they propose to clean-up the criminally-compromised police force? By simply replacing BN's inspector-general with a crony of their own? Or by putting the cleaners through the entire organisation and investigating and charging all those suspected of graft and unlawful killings in 'gun-battles' and in custody?

As for who's going to try this avalanche of cases, how does Pakatan plan to remove all the judges that are currently in BN's pocket and replace them with a judiciary that's truly independent and faithful to its sworn duty to uphold the law?

And speaking of the law, which of BN's unconstitutional statutes does Pakatan plan to repeal? The Internal Security Act should by rights be the first to go, closely followed by the Printing, Presses and Publications Act. Or would Pakatan plan to retain powers of repression such as these, the better to cling onto office having finally achieved it?

Then there's the question of all the scandals surrounding all the financial and 'development' scams through which BN has been robbing the Malaysian people blind. Does Pakatan plan to work diligently to uncover all these and where possible get the money back, or proceed cautiously and selectively in case Pakatan politicians have been involved in their earlier incarnations?

Anwar Ibrahim himself could be a case in point here, as Ktemoc tirelessly reminds us, as however unjust his persecution by his erstwhile BN colleagues on trumped-up sodomy charges is, suspicions of bastardry still remain from back in his days as Mahathir's deputy.

In short, it's time that the components of Pakatan got their act together and their story straight, and even better, appoint a shadow cabinet so that Malaysians could see for once and for all whether they're a serious alternative to the abhorrent BN.

And high time PKR realise that the longer it goes on with it mat rempit antics on its self-centred “road to Putrajaya”, the less credible it looks to the long-suffering and increasingly cynical rakyat.

DEAN JOHNS, after many years in Asia, currently lives with his Malaysian-born wife and daughter in Sydney, where he mentors creative writing groups. Already published in Kuala Lumpur is a third book of his columns for Malaysiakini, following earlier collections 'Mad about Malaysia' and 'Even Madder about Malaysia'.