Opposition should take Perak MB crisis as sign to iron out differences - DAP Youth

 

DAP Youth vice-chief Muhammad Shakir Amir has urged Pakatan Harapan parties to use the current Perak Menteri Besar crisis to build a new consensus among the opposition to restore unity ahead of any imminent elections.

Shakir backed the call of Amanah Youth Chief Shazni Munir Mohd Ithnin who called upon all opposition parties to hold talks and work out terms for their new cooperation after the opposition's repeated failure to reject the budget at the committee stage.

"The call of Amanah Youth to build new momentum and ask the opposition parties to negotiate should be welcomed by all parties who want to restore the people's mandate.

"The vote of no confidence in the Perak MB Ahmad Faizal Azumu proposed by his coalition ally Umno and which resulted in the Bersatu MB having to step down shows that the Perikatan Nasional rift is getting worse.

"There has never been an incident in a state legislative assembly where a party proposed and supported a motion of confidence in an MB only to vote against it," said Muhammad Shakir in a statement today

He said that while the Perak state government under PN was supposedly built on the unity of the ummah (Muslim community), it failed to reach an understanding due to the greedy attitude among the PN party components.

"Furthermore the PN federal government has only played political games since taking over after the Sheraton Move. They have never taken into account the welfare of the people, which is increasingly critical for the majority of Malaysians," he added.

Muhammad Shakir also took aim at what he called the arrogance of Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor of PAS, whom he said mocked minorities and brushed off the feelings of the Hindu community over a recent temple demolition case.

The issue has reached a stage where PAS's coalition partner MIC has started within with them on this matter, he said.

This came after Sanusi had suggested that his critics, which included MIC and DAP leaders, were "drunk on the toddy of popularity" and advised them not to act as if they are "drunk on three bottles after consuming only one bottle".

MIC president S Vigneswaran responded by calling Sanusi insensitive and said the Kedah MB had spoiled all his hard work to get the Indian community to vote for PAS.

Shakir said that today's PAS was very different from the administration of the former Kelantan menteri besar, the late Nik Aziz Nik Mat who respected the diversity of races and other religions during his administration when he governed from 1990 to 2013.

"Under such circumstances, the majority of the grassroots and Pakatan Harapan supporters call for the opposition bloc led by Harapan and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, Parti Pejuang Tanah Air leader Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Warisan president Heritage Shafie Apdal, PSB, Muda and Upko to jointly take the opportunity of the failure of the PN government administration to negotiate and discuss the direction of the opposition.

"These should begin by finding a way to vote down Budget 2021 and at the same time, restore the people's mandate and deliver a more people-friendly budget.

"It is also important for the opposition bloc to start negotiating to establish cooperation to face the Sarawak state election (which is due next year) and also the fifteenth general election."

"Leaders from the opposition bloc should resolve disputes against each other to achieve political understanding in the interest of the country as it is important for us to continue the administrative reform agendas that started during the Harapan administration in 2018," added Muhammad Shakir. - Mkini