Polls over, focus on improving lives of rakyat

 

The much-anticipated elections in six states are over and the status quo remains, with PH-BN holding on to its three states and PN retaining the three it held prior to Aug 12.

PN, in fact, has emerged stronger than before, increasing the number of state seats, especially in Selangor.

PAS, part of PN, is the biggest winner in these elections. It has expanded its influence and is on the cusp of claiming legitimacy as the voice of the Malay community – certainly so of the rural Malay community.

The DAP, as expected, did very well.

The biggest loser is Umno which represented Barisan Nasional in the Aug 12 polls in Kedah, Penang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan and Terengganu. It’s performance only serves to consolidate the argument that it has lost the confidence of the Malay community.

I am sure MCA and MIC are happy they did not participate because if big brother Umno can lose in Malay majority seats, they are sure to have been cleaned out if they had contested.

Another loser is Muda which decided to go its own way while remaining part of or supporting the unity government at the federal level. Obviously, voters did not like that or felt it would be a waste to give Muda candidates the vote.

PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim obviously was not able to charm voters – especially not in the rural areas. Despite going to Kedah for a final thrust, Anwar failed to dent PN’s position, and certainly not that of PAS’s Sanusi Nor.

Over the next few days, political analysts and leaders of the various parties will be scrutinising how the votes went and what it means. Parties such as Umno and Muda will certainly have to think hard about the message from voters.

But despite the seats lost by PH-BN, the coalition managed to retain its three states in this contest. The outcome of the elections in the six states show the status quo is maintained.

As state elections do not directly affect the federal government, the Anwar administration continues. And I hope all political parties take cognisance of this.

Since the 2018 general election, Malaysia has struggled with political instability largely due to the intrigues and plots hatched in the power struggles among politicians.

Although the 2022 general election resulted in a hung Parliament, Pakatan Harapan leader Anwar managed to cobble together what is called the unity government with the support of Umno and the ruling coalitions of Sabah and Sarawak.

But the opposition has kept talking about bringing down the government, despite Anwar having a two-third majority in Parliament.

Even during the election campaign that ended on Aug 11, several top leaders of Perikatan Nasional continued to harp on bringing down the government after the Aug 12 polls.

The opposition has every right to want to form the federal government but I would urge it to stop continuing to harp on bringing down the government. It is only going to make investors and businessmen nervous, and the general population uneasy.

PN should, instead, prepare itself and attempt to take over the federal government in the next general election and not continue to say anything or act in such a way that there will be political instability from now until then.

Especially so because Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Gabungan Parti Sarawak have said in no uncertain terms that they will back Anwar’s administration at the federal level.

PN should allow the Anwar administration to run the country but act as a good check and balance. It should scrutinise the government’s policies and plans and criticise those that will not benefit the people.

More importantly, both PN and PH-BN should also work on improving the lives of people in the states that they rule.
Malaysians do not expect a total halt to political intrigues and power play but we would like to see the coalitions work on fulfilling their promises to voters rather than expending energy on trying to bring each other down or engage in games of one-upmanship.

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I think Malaysians are tired of the political instability that has dogged us since the 2018 general election. It is time to get on with our normal lives without having to worry about political instability and its effect on the economy and our households.

Malaysians would like to see the two coalitions fight each other by demonstrating what they can do in the states they control or at the federal level.

Malaysians would like to see both coalitions fight to make the lives of citizens much better than it is and usher in peace, progress and prosperity. Is that asking for too much?

I am also concerned about the spillover effects of the split caused by politics and how it will affect race relations.

Many of those discussing politics invariably note that the majority of non-Malays support PH-BN while most Malays back PN. More people will be convinced of this after the Aug 12 polls.

I think framing the discussion this way is harmful to race relations.

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I would like analysts and others to frame this as an urban-rural division rather than as a racial one. I think we tread on dangerous grounds when we keep talking about Malays supporting one coalition and non-Malays supporting another.

It is a fact that the worldview of the urban population – perhaps being better educated or better informed or living in a mixed-race environment – is bound to be different from that of the rural population. Even Malays who stay in urban areas think differently from Malays in rural areas.

But what is crucial is to narrow the divisions that exist and bring everyone closer together as Malaysians. What is important is to stress the concept of unity in diversity, including diversity of political opinion. - FMT

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