All's not well in Muhyiddin's land

Let's make a trip to new Malaysia - 100 days after the tragic fall of Pakatan Harapan. We are passing through a huge, ugly arch emblazoned above with a bold, garish sign: Beware! You are entering Muhyiddin's land.

We are now in a land where the political contour is very much different from the one we knew before 2018. As we make our way slowly, the scenes flitting about us are mournful, gloomy, forbidding.

Look at life outdoors: people are moving about nervously as danger lurks at every corner and even in the air. They eye each other furtively with intense fear and suspicion, they dare not come near you, every sneeze and cough sends cold shivers down everybody's spine. The ubiquitous masks are a testament to the terrible times they are going through.

And what are all these barbed wires for? They are rolled around the neighbourhoods and not a soul can enter or leave. Living daily behind such barricades must be morale-sapping.

At one time, people moved about freely and happily but now every movement and action must conform to certain rules. Step out of the line and you end up behind bars. There is no such thing as celebrating the joys of freedom in social gatherings.

We move on and come across a large section of society all agitated over something they had read in disbelief these past few days. The news is bad: the scales of justice have tipped in favour of some prominent citizens whose alleged crimes could have received a different verdict had Pakatan Harapan stayed on the course.

Every day the conviction grows in the public mind that in Muhyiddin's land, the course of justice can somehow be altered to result in culprits going free.

Did you catch a glimpse of that Malaysian official number one who went on trial over that 1MDB affair? Yes, you see him grinning from ear to ear as he thinks he can get off the hook, now that things are beginning to turn around with Perikatan Nasional in the saddle.

See that distinctive landmark on the fringe of Lake Gardens? The whitewashed building stands tall and proud, but since PN came to power, all has been quiet inside this hallowed chamber. 

Except for a one-day sitting, this house of Parliament did not echo with the voices of the legislators. There is a placard lying on the pavement, which aptly sums it all: Haunted House.

All over the land, there is a sense of uneasiness and foreboding, as if trouble might break out at any moment. Life has become an endless struggle when people no longer have the means to sustain themselves for the long haul.

You observe ordinary people going about their chores with deep anxieties etched on their faces because they can hardly live on the pittance dished out by this new leader in his live televised speeches to his people every few weeks or so. Fear stalks you because with hardship comes the shadows of crime.

You stroll down near the corridors of power and all you can see are politicians busy keeping themselves afloat. The talk making the rounds is that they are all thinking how best to make the most of their short time in politics. Never mind the plight of the cash-strapped people.

In Muhyiddin's court, politicians must always humour their master while they enjoy the perks of office, be it in the cabinet or in a cushy government-linked enterprise. Loyalty is king.

You come away from the trip with the strong feeling that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is not fully in charge in his first 100 days in office. He is performing high-wire acts just to stay above the snapping crocodiles who are his partners in the political circus.

People tell you nothing marks him out as an outstanding leader who will pull the country out of the doldrums. It's difficult to call him a hero or a saviour as he battles all those formidable, spiky foes besieging the land.

You shake your head and conclude that the country is moving, not on a high note of optimism but on a low key of pessimism. All around, there are telltale signs of declining health: Lady Justice is sick, the economy is sick, democracy is sick. Indeed, all's not well in Muhyiddin's land.

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PHLIP RODRIGUES is a retired journalist. - Mkini