Can a new political party make a difference?

 

Malaysians are divided into four groups.

One will vote for Perikatan Nasional, a Malay-Muslim coalition, which mainly comprises PAS and Bersatu; another will vote for Pakatan Harapan which consists of PKR, DAP and Amanah; yet another will cast a protest vote; while the fourth will sulk and won’t even come out to vote.

PN has a solid fan base of Malay-Muslims whose main priority is gaining entry into heaven.

So, no concerts, no female singers, no heritage arts, no critical and thought-provoking movies like 

Mentega Terbang

 and, of course, separate aeroplanes for men and women.

What is not certain is the vote bank for PH. Why? Well, because so many keyboard warriors and columnists think that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is a big fat failure and the DAP seems to be no better.

Fine. So now what?

Many say only a new political party can rejuvenate Malaysia and realise the dream our forefathers had for Malaysia – a progressive (non-Taliban) country.

But what is this new political party and what kind of political coalition will it be?

Firstly, can a new political party galvanise Malaysia? Who will lead this party? How many seats can they actually win to make a difference and become government?

If Urimai’s P Ramasamy, Malaysian Advancement Party’s P Waytha Moorthy, Muda and Parti Sosialis Malaysia come together, will this coalition win anything? If Warisan of Sabah and Gabungan Parti Sarawak joins them, maybe they stand a chance.

Or does that matter at all?

We have seen how, in 2018, the Malays came together in a dangerous revolt over issues surrounding ICERD (the International Convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination) and the Rome Statute (which established the International Criminal Court).

Can a party without a strong Malay base work in Malaysia?

Now, would this new coalition work with PN?

Can PN be trusted after the 

Qunut Nazilah

 and 

Kafir Harbi

 controversies?

PN MPs recited the Qunut Nazilah supplication following Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal’s six-month suspension from the Dewan Rakyat, while in the run-up to the Nenggiri by-election, a PAS leader labelled DAP as 

kafir harbi

 (belligerent infidels).

PAS has accused Malaysians who do not support PN of being enemies of Islam. That, I gather, includes Ramasamy and company.

Will former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin start a new party? Will he work with the likes of former minister Zaid Ibrahim, lawyer-activist Siti Kasim and former Umno MP Tawfik Ismail? Will this be a new political party of a progressive Malay base?

Wait a minute, though. Siti Kassim hates political parties. She is an independent and will die an independent. No one can control her, and she does not want to be controlled.

Anyway, taking Siti out, there are still three Malay figures that can matter in an election. Maybe add Muar MP Syed Sadiq Syed Abdul Rahman to the equation.

Can they through podcasters who rule social media place this new Malay political party along with the new alliance of a Ramasamy-led coalition to victory? Let’s call this new coalition 

Kuasa Tiga

 (KT), or the Third Force.

Great. Everybody is now excited. There is hope and there is a new coalition against PN and PH.

How will they fare in GE16 in a three-cornered fight? I predict PN will win because most of the Malay seats will be taken up by PN and most of the mixed seats will be split down the middle between PH and KT.

Perhaps PH can work with the new KT and divide their seats to go one-on-one against PN. This can actually work if the egos of Anwar, Khairy and Zaid can be pacified, although that is easier said than done.

But desperate times call for desperate measures. The three groups of voters I am sure will back this new coalition. PH+KT vs PN can save Malaysia.

Now, there is one small problem. Where will Umno be? With PH-KT or with PN. My bet is that Umno will be with PN. So, it is officially a Malaysia versus Melayu scenario. My prediction is that we will all lose.

If PH+KT wins a slight majority, the PAS-Bersatu-Umno coalition will destabilise it as they did before via the ICERD and Rome Statute issues.

If PN-Umno wins, the country will go backwards 60 years. The difference this time is that we will be a bankrupt nation with a RM3 trillion debt, Will we also see some politicians nurture their private wealth and cultivate the Malays?

Now, even if PH+KT manages to win, whoever the new prime minister will be will still have the baggage of the civil service, the 

hutang banyak

 (excessive debt) issue and issues surrounding the Umno-BN work culture.

Will the new PH+KT change everything that Malaysians want? Can this new government with a new prime minister resolve the Malay-only UiTM issue, the university quota issue, the Ali Baba culture in business, the concert issue, the alcohol issue, the azan issue, the tudung issue, the Olympic dress issue and hundreds other issues, 98% of which will likely relate to Islam.

Can any new prime minister do anything at all within the next five years in office?

Well, there is one scenario we can envisage in my next article, A Battle of Two Islams. There is another way out for Malaysia. It is unpopular but it is realistic and do-able. - FMT

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