Harapan can't win if all it does is hope for PN to implode – Nik Nazmi

Pakatan Harapan needs to self-reflect and correct its mistakes if it is to regain power and not hope for its rival Perikatan Nasional to implode, said Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

Writing on the second anniversary of the May 9, 2018 general elections in which Harapan dealt a historic defeat to the Umno-led BN coalition, the PKR man conceded that it will be a sombre affair.

"It is more than just because our alliance lost power at the federal level due to the controversial Sheraton Move as Malaysia is also beginning to grapple with the socio-economic fallout of the Covid-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and the movement control order (MCO)," said Nik Nazmi in a statement today.

He said that even with the opening of the economy via the conditional MCO, which has also been marred by disagreements between the federal and state governments, it will require a lot of work and time before Malaysia returned to "where we once were."

Unstable political leadership is the new normal

The fluid political situation following the Sheraton Move is the political new normal, added Nik Nazmi.

"Ordinary Malaysians were suffering even before the country was hit by the last wave of political chicanery and the pandemic.

"This suffering will continue and even exacerbate without wise and transparent policies that are centred on the rakyat rather than vested interests.

"While we must 'focus on the economy', it will all come to naught without good and open politics," he said.

Harapan must get its act together

Nik Nazmi said that economic recovery or future growth will not be sustainable or equitable without strong institutions as well as political reform, which will require Harapan to get its act together.

"As the old saying goes, if we fail to learn the lessons of history, we will repeat it," he said.

"We must acknowledge that Harapan won in 2018 not just because of the rakyat’s anger over the 1MDB scandal and the abuses of Najib Razak.

"Malaysian voters gave us a parliamentary majority because Harapan won them over with the promises outlined in our Buku Harapan manifesto."

He said he strongly believed that had Harapan implemented it substantively – it would have laid the seeds for a pro-rakyat and globally competitive Malaysian economy.

"This is because the rakyat are our greatest asset and no plan for the future will succeed if it doesn’t stand up for them.

"For my part, I certainly never shied away from making it the centrepiece whenever and wherever I campaigned in 2018," said Nik Nazmi who repeatedly called on Harapan prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to honour the manifesto during the latter's term in office.

He said that instead, the Buku Haparan was treated as something of a joke, even by certain leaders of the then government.

"Don’t they—and certainly we, the rakyat—after the ‘Sheraton Move’, now wish that they had taken it more seriously and worked more urgently to fulfil it?"

Nik Nazmi also reminded supporters that Harapan unity was key.

"The rapprochement between Mahathir and (PKR president) Anwar Ibrahim was a watershed in Malaysian politics. May 9, 2018 couldn’t have happened if these two icons had not put aside their differences for the future of the country." he said.

Repeated mistakes

He said it was important that Harapan be honest about its mistakes.

"The cabinet that was set up after the elections did not reflect the realities of the parliamentary strength of the different component parties.

"I will be the first to admit that there were many excellent ministers in the rank but others frankly let the people down in terms of their performance and their actions during the Sheraton Move.”

Only the man who was prime minister at the time can say for certain why his cabinet was formed the way it was and why he picked the people he did, said Nik Nazmi.

He also slammed Bersatu's decision to welcome Umno defectors as an unwelcome move.

"There certainly was a failure to communicate, to really talk in an honest and heartfelt manner between ourselves and the rakyat.

"Anwar consistently said that Dr Mahathir should be given time to implement the reforms he felt the country needed, he added, lamenting the breakdown in communication over the transition of power.

He called on his coalition to remain true to its principles no matter how difficult.

"There will always be local, regional and global black swans that will throw administrations off guard.

"Weak ones bend. Strong ones adapt but continue to pursue their goals.

"What future will Malaysia have if all its governments can or want to do is react to events?

"If we stand for everything, we stand for nothing," said Nik Nazmi.

He said that moving forward, Harapan cannot hope to win if all it is relying on is for PN to implode.

"Its disunity is a serious question that cannot be batted away. But that will not be enough for Malaysian voters to want to send Harapan back to Putrajaya.

"Rather, we must regain and recommit to the reformist, rakyat-centric spirit that so animated us in 2018 and show Malaysians that we will protect and grow their livelihoods as well as rights.

"We must do so as one coalition with one voice. Malaysians desperately need hope. Harapan must be able to give it to them—but we must be honest to them and with ourselves," he added. - Mkini