Country suffering from political fatigue, says Kadir Jasin

 The veteran journalist says if left unchecked, the repercussions could be detrimental to the country.

Veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin cites the poor voter turnout in general elections since 2013, and attendance at events organised by political parties, including last Sunday’s DAP special congress.

PETALING JAYA:

Veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin said the public is suffering from political fatigue, citing declining voter turnout since the 2013 general election, and poor attendance at events organised by political parties.

If left unchecked, the repercussions could be detrimental to the country, he said.

In a Facebook post, Kadir said voter turnout at the 2013 general election was 84%, before dipping to 82.32% in 2018. In 2022, voter turnout stood at 74.5%.

He said the DAP special congress held on Sunday saw only 51.2% of its 4,264 delegates attending.

He also pointed out that splinter parties such as Pejuang were wiped out in the last general election, while mainstream parties such as PKR, Amanah, Bersatu and Bersama suffered huge losses in the recent state elections.

“How are we not worn out? Just look at how political leaders toy with the emotions of party members and their supporters,” he said.

Kadir said the fatigue could also be attributed to infighting within political parties.

He singled out PKR as an example, noting the controversies surrounding Rafizi Ramli, who left the party after losing the party polls, and Nurul Izzah Anwar, who recently stepped down as the party’s deputy president.

If this political fatigue lingered, he said, it would spell disaster for the country.

“It is not impossible that one day we will be ruled by a kleptocratic or kakistocratic government,” he said. - FMT