Another View Of The DAP - UMNO Tie Up.

 

OSTB : This is adapted from Finance Twitter here.    

DAP is again being grilled by its own supporters if it was wise to work with arch rival UMNO in the formation of a new state government in Perak. 

Exactly how could DAP even consider working with a political party as c----pt as UMNO? If you still have such a mindset after March coup, chances are you can’t survive basic office politics.

First of all, it was not DAP alone who worked hand-in-glove with UMNO to overthrow the former Perak Chief Minister Ahmad Faizal Azumu. It was the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition, which consists of DAP (16 assemblymen), People’s Justice Party (PKR: 3) and National Trust Party (Amanah: 5), who had agreed to boot Faizal.

Secondly, it’s not official yet that Pakatan, let alone DAP, will form a new Perak state government with UMNO. There’s still a possibility that the now-collapsed Perikatan Nasional state government will continue to rule Perak without Pakatan’s participation. It depends whether Prime Minister Muhyiddin has the balls to declare war on UMNO rebels or surrender Perak with tail between legs.

PH-BN New Alliance - PKR-DAP-Amanah-UMNO

Third point – even if there is to be a new loose alliance of PH-BN, which was previously unimaginable, it may be a temporary solution until the next election. 

Besides, DAP must not necessarily join the unity government to get what it wants. UMNO can be the front line along with PKR and Amanah while DAP stays behind the scene, for now.

Fourth point – like DAP who may face grassroots backlash, UMNO too will suffer its own criticism – even at a greater impact – from Malay supporters if both bitter enemies work together. 

If DAP and UMNO were to shake hands, they would have carefully considered all the pros and cons. Besides, if it was such a horrible plan, Muhyiddin would not have had rushed to Johor to save the state.

Yes, instead of letting DAP and UMNO self-destruct working together, the panicked prime minister rushed to the southern state to control and calm his boys. 

PM Muhyiddin was terrified that Johor will collapse like Perak after rumours spread like wildfire that his own party – Johor Bersatu (PPBM) – might retaliate against Johor Chief Minister Hasni Mohammad, who is from UMNO.

Muhyiddin Yassin - Prime Minister Legitimacy In Question

If cooperation between PH and UMNO is a bad plan in the first place, Muhyiddin should have given an order to his 12 assemblymen in Johor to vote down the state’s budget, effectively bring down the UMNO-led government. 

Like Perak, UMNO Johor will then have no choice but to propose an alliance with PKR-DAP-Amanah. But Muhyiddin didn’t do that.

As the premier fought tooth and nail to prevent his own angry boys from trying to overthrow UMNO state government in Johor, the state chief minister unexpectedly declares that opposition PH is a “strategic partner” – not an enemy. Heck, Chief Minister Hasni had even announced a one-off RM50,000 funding for all assemblymen, including those from the Opposition.

The additional RM50,000 from the Johor government came after the State Budget 2021 saw an allocation for all members of the state legislative assembly tripled from RM50,000 to RM150,000, bringing the total amount to RM200,000. 

The equal allocation suggests that UMNO Johor is competing with Bersatu Johor to win the support of PH, especially Chinese-based DAP.

Chinese Voters Support DAP

Fifth point – working with UMNO at the state level (Perak) does not mean DAP, and PH for that matter, will definitely work with BN at the federal level. Instead of a “big bang”, Perak could be the “test bed” to experiment the feasibility and to test water of a new alliance. It carries very small risk as anyone can walk away without triggering a collapse of the federal government.

It’s true that UMNO President Zahid Hamidi may be using DAP in Perak to blackmail or extract some selfish concessions from PM Muhyiddin, the same way Zahid had played and misled Anwar Ibrahim into believing he could become the next prime minister. But if PKR president Anwar can work with Zahid and Najib, why can’t DAP try something on a smaller scale.

As the opposition, PH has nothing to lose but everything to gain in disrupting the existing Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition comprising Bersatu, UMNO and PAS. 

To understand whether it was a dumb idea in the first place to rub shoulders and work with UMNO, perhaps it’s best to go back to 2008, when the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat (PR) was formed.

The PR coalition was formed as the successor to Barisan Alternatif (BA), which was disbanded after the 2004 general election. 

PR comprised PKR, DAP, and PAS became the strongest opposition that truly gave then-ruling BN government a run for its money.

 In the 2008 GE, PR won 82 parliamentary seats. In the 2013 General Election, the same coalition did slightly better by winning 89 seats. PR however, disintegrated in 2015 after the death of Nik Abdul Aziz, the leader of PAS. Under the new leadership of Hadi Awang, PAS became incredibly extreme, radical, racist and c----pt.

The sensitive issue of “hudud” was deliberately used by Hadi Awang to provoke ally DAP, forcing DAP to tell PAS to leave the coalition while at the same time PAS told DAP to quit instead. DAP declared the coalition “dead” on 16 June 2015, citing the inability of the rest of the alliance to work with PAS, after PAS congress passed the motion to sever ties with DAP without debate.

Najib Razak and Hadi Awang - Opposition Break-Up and RM90 Million

Subsequently, it was revealed by whistleblower Sarawak Report that PAS president Hadi Awang had been bri--d with RM90 million by then-PM Najib Razak to quit the PR. In the 2018 General Election, PAS conspired with UMNO to create three-cornered contests which ultimately backfired. The mighty BN regime finally collapsed after 61 years in power.

Even though PH (formed in 2015 as the successor to Pakatan Rakyat) won stunningly in the May 2018 General Election, it lost power after just 22 months due to betrayal and treachery of a fellow component member – Bersatu (PPBM). Bersatu president Muhyiddin had plotted with enemies UMNO and PAS to overthrow PH government.

PR had been working with PAS for years, only to be betrayed by Hadi Awang for a mere RM90 million. Similarly, PH had also been working with Bersatu for years, only to be betrayed by power-hungry Muhyiddin Yassin, and Mahathir Mohamad to a certain extent. Essentially, Pakatan had been betrayed twice by two Malay-Muslim parties.

Muhyiddin Yassin and Hadi Awang

That would leave UMNO as the third and last Malay-Muslim party which PKR-DAP-Amanah has not worked with. Sure, UMNO is cor__pt to the core. But at least, UMNO openly – even proudly – admit to being cor__pt. But is Bersatu or PAS any better than UMNO? Not only Bersatu, a splinter group of UMNO, is equally co___pt, it has embarked on a more dangerous route than cor___tion – extremism and radicalization.

For the sake of power, PM Muhyiddin was willing to please extremists and radicals in PAS. Promising to fight “moderate” Sunni Muslim teachings, which forms the basis of the country’s 1957 Independence Constitution and the 1963 Malaysia Agreement, the prime minister had announced on Nov 28 that he will destroy secularism and liberalism. Such pledge mirrors that of I__S ter_____sts.

Under Muhyiddin’s administration, the liquor sale has since been banned at convenience stores, sundry and grocery shops along with Chinese medicine shops. Muhyiddin did not even care to consult non-Muslim minorities. 

Days ago, even a “non-halal” section of Jaya Grocer outlet in Eco Grandeur, Puncak Alam, was forced to close for selling alcohol in the store.

Heineken Beer - Non Muslim Non Halal

A PAS lawmaker today (Dec 7) asked in Parliament why “Jawi script” writing is not introduced at the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) level – suggesting that after the controversial Khat Jawi in primary school, the extremists could push Muhyiddin to force the teaching of the Arabic script to all secondary schools throughout the nation if they win the next 15th general election.

Kedah, under a new chief minister from PAS, has unilaterally demolished a Hindu temple in the state. Even the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), despite being part of the federal government, could not stop the little Napoleon. When Kedah Chief Minister was criticised, he arrogantly mocked and insulted all Indian leaders – calling them “drunk on toddy”.

Muhyiddin’s own minister, Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, has proposed to close down all SJKC vernacular schools. 

Should DAP ignore UMNO, leaving the party alone and in the process, allowing the radicalised Bersatu-PAS terrorise the minorities with bans on alcohol, vernacular schools (and perhaps pork or festivities soon)?

Last year (March 2019), UMNO warlord Khairy Jamaluddin claimed that the UMNO-PAS alliance under Muafakat Nasional will never lead to Malaysia being run like the Taliban in Afghanistan. 

But can he say the same thing now that the PAS extremists are on the loose, having found new ally PM Muhyiddin, and ready to turn the country into a Taliban state?

By opening a door for UMNO, PH is trying to stop its enemy from being held a hostage by a bigger enemy – PAS-Bersatu Ta__bans – who will not think twice about plunging the country into Islamic radicalization and extremism. 

While UMNO cannot be trusted, it’s worth to note that the opposition can always withdraw its support in Perak to topple it if things go south.

• Instead of allowing PAS to continue its role as the kingmaker in the PN, why not inject PKR-DAP-Amanah as the new kingmaker in the equation by offering an option to UMNO? 
• Isn’t this part of a divide-and-conquer strategy? 
• The idea of working with UMNO may sound absurd – even screams naivety – but like it or not, the ethnic Malay is the majority.
• If PH can work with former PM Mahathir, why can’t the opposition work with UMNO, a party that possess grassroots and machinery hundreds times more powerful than Bersatu (Mahathir’s former party). 
• Get real, to win the Malay vote bank, PKR-DAP-Amanah needs a genuine Malay nationalist party. And UMNO is the only one left. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
• More importantly, a possible UMNO-DAP alliance could tone down the rhetoric of racism. 
• However, even if UMNO and PH can use Perak as the test bed to gradually build a new platform for something bigger, DAP must get ready to clarify to its supporters about what they plan to do with cr__ks like Najib Razak and Zahid Hamidi.

 

My comments :

We have not heard the reactions from other UMNO leaders. They are adopting a wait and see attitude because it looks like Umno will gain back Perak (an Umno MB will be appointed).  So that is a good thing.

But the UMNO grassroots will certainly be disillusioned with Umno for working with the DAP.  It is certainly an admission (or a public announcement) that Umno is very weak. That they would need to depend on the DAP for their survival in Perak. And possibly elsewhere.

And PKR can be shortcircuited as well. Brader Anwar's hopes of becoming PM can be even further away.  Just a few weeks ago Brader Anwar said he had enough support (meaning Zahid Hamidi and Umno) to form the government.  Everyone (except me) was shocked that he would even consider cooperating with the Umno goons. 

But it looks like the DAP has gone one up on the Brader.  Brader Anwar could not even initiate a vote of no confidence against the PM. But the DAP has in one stroke removed the Perak Menteri Besar. They have delivered - quietly. 

If the DAP collaboration with Umno moves to Parliament then UMNO can play hardball with Bersatu and the PM. 

And with 42 seats in Parliament, whatever deal is cut the DAP will (again) deal directly with Umno.  Not through the Pakatan Harapan presidential council and certainly NOT through Brader Anwar.

Just like in Perak, (from Nga Kor Ming's statement) the DAP made their own deal with Umno. It was not a meeting of the full "Board of Directors" of Pakatan Harapan type of situation. The DAP basically cut their own deal.

So if the DAP - Umno cooperation goes to Parliamentary power sharing, again it will be DAP that can call the shots directly.  With UMNO/BN on their side the DAP will need much less of PKR and possibly PH.

So what about Bersatu? Bersatu becomes precarious. If Bersatu pulls out of PN, then the DAP will need PKR and Amanah - but again to a much lesser extent.

Nga Kor Ming has said that the DAP will not seek to take any posts in the Perak State government. They can influence policy. 

Similarly the DAP need not aim to change the PM or the Federal government entirely. It is more important to use the leverage they have to influence policy - about which the DAP seems to have some better sense. 

Because what the country does not need now is a new PM or a new government. What the country needs quite drastically are changes in policy.  

If we change the PM now or change the government and then whoever the replacement government that comes along STILL DOES NOT CHANGE THE POLICIES then we will only be entering another period of doom and gloom. It will be non stop.

That is why I have said a few times to the non Malay supporters of Brader Anwar (as one example)  go and ask Brader Anwar if he becomes PM will he remove the racial quotas to enter the medical faculties at the government universities? Go and ask him lah.  If there is not going to be any change in policy then what is the point of a new government?

61 years of BN, 22 months of PH and now 10 months of PN - the bad policies that were made over the past 50 years are still intact.  Nothing has changed.

Whichever political party changes the dinosaur policies to more sensible and workable ones then they will survive and remain in government.  Why? Because the peoples lives will change for the better.

Whichever political party does not change the policies of the past 50 years - well they can look for new coalition partners once every six months. Because the peoples' lives will continue to get worse.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.