Form a Barisan-Pakatan government of national reconciliation

 

Assuming Pakatan Rakyat is able to topple the BN government via street violence, wouldn’t the leaders and supporters of BN retaliate in the same fashion? 

Francis Paul Siah

Today is June 5. It’s exactly a month after the May 5 general election, widely touted as the mother of all elections.

Over the past month after GE13, the nation has been besieged with negatives. Nothing seems to be moving or has moved in the right direction. In a nutshell, nothing positive has been achieved.

We could have done so much in one month but we chose to waste it just because things did not turn out the way we wanted.

Yes, we are now a nation badly divided. Politics has torn the people asunder in a way never witnessed before.

GE 13 did not bring about the changes for the better we all seek. Instead, it is slowly destroying everything that is good about the country.

Is there anything good left about politics in this country, given the disappointing and worrying events of the past 30 days? Honestly, I can’t think of any.

Over the past month, we could not sit down and talk anymore. We had to use the media to get our messages across or to badmouth each other.

Worse, we now seem to be a people who enjoy taking part in street demonstrations and public protests. Why, do we seriously believe we can create an ‘Arab Spring’ here in Malaysia? Come on, people. Let’s get real. We are still Malaysians.

Assuming Pakatan Rakyat is able to topple the BN government via street violence, wouldn’t the leaders and supporters of BN retaliate in the same fashion?

So we will have more demonstrations and street protests. If we continue to go down that alley, where do you think that route will lead us?

What has become of us, Malaysians? Shouldn’t we be ashamed of ourselves? Our behaviour of late is not something we can feel proud about.

True, Anwar Ibrahim and his Pakatan colleagues have every right to challenge the election results and express their dissatisfaction over electoral discrepancies. 

But I honestly do not think going to the streets will resolve anything.

Najib Razak committed a mortal sin with his “Chinese tsunami” statement soon after the elections. It was something painfully sensitive coming from a prime minister who is of a different race.

The PM should have just accepted that the Chinese voters were not supportive of his BN government but preferred Pakatan. Why must that be so hard to swallow?

Najib has erred and I like to believe that he has realised his mistake for he has not repeated it. That is well and good.

Like many Malaysians, I made a choice during GE 13. My conscientious decision was to campaign for good men and women to helm a caring, responsible and transparent government that will lead the people and nation towards greater heights.

I had gone on public record with a press statement five days before the May 5 polling day urging my fellow Sarawakians to bury Sarawak BN so that corruption, cronyism and nepotism could also go under as well.

But the May 5 results were a disappointment – to both sides. While Pakatan failed to make it to Putrajaya, BN suffered its worst defeat ever. But the ruling coalition still managed enough seats to retain power.

So where do we go from here? Do we allow the two political divides to continue their never-ending squabbles and bickering? Or do we tell them “enough is enough, we elected you guys to work and govern the country; please get down to the job”.

We, the majority of Malaysians who are not politicians, must take a stand and make a decision.

This is mine and I would like to share it with all my fellow Malaysians.

At a time like this, I reckon I have to trust Najib Razak and Anwar Ibrahim to do the right things for the people and nation. These are the two political leaders who matter in Malaysia today. I expect them to be around the next 10 years at least.

I don’t have a choice really. I’m stuck with them. So it only makes sense to ensure that they give their best to the country over the next decade.

Together, let us, the people of Malaysia, help them to focus on the tasks and responsibilities at hand.

We can do that by not partaking anymore in anything negative, either through words or deeds, coming from both sides similar to those of the past one month.

We must demand that they and their cohorts stop their public mudslinging, their accusations and counter-accusations at once. We must let them know that we have enough of their nonsense over the past month. 

I want to believe that both Najib and Anwar mean well and that they want the best for the nation.

Both men have come a long way in politics and they knew each other only too well. They should know what each is capable of, being the political animals that they are.  

Now, they must do what must be done quickly on two fronts. First, restore national understanding and help promote national unity using the resources they have at hand. Two, get rid of the animosity and antagonism between their parties that have poisoned the political atmosphere for so long. With their supreme party positions, they could easily lead the way by example on this front.   

Today, let me urge these two loyal and patriotic sons of Malaysia to put their differences aside and work together. This is what Malaysians want.

Sit down as a team and seriously start thinking about joining forces to form a “Government of National Reconciliation”.

Let’s make one important thing clear. This is not about PR joining BN. This is about PR and BN coming together to form a new coalition government as partners.

I sincerely appeal to Najib and Anwar to lead Malaysians on the journey towards national reconciliation. Let the “Politics of Conscience” be the guiding light and cast aside the politics of pride and ego.

The details and intricacies of the new government such as the cabinet appointments can be sorted out but at the outset, perhaps key positions could be organised in this manner.

Najib is to remain as prime minister with Anwar as senior minister, holding the finance portfolio. Muhyideen Yassin is DPM 1 and can continue at education. Lim Kit Siang is DPM 2 and also anti-corruption minister. DPM 3 is Hadi Awang who is also in charge of Islamic affairs.

The other portfolios will be organised in a manner that where a BN representative is a minister, the deputy will be from PR. The same guideline follows vice versa.

The ‘Politics of Conscience’ charter which I propose will get rid of emotional charges entwined within the guilt of association or trial of accusation that have been prevalent among the two opposing parties.

It will also prove that our political leaders in BN and PR have not lost all sense of reasonableness and that they can have honest differences of opinions without being charged with mental deficiency or treason.

I doubt we could go far wrong if the process is guided by the principles of  parliamentary democracy, constitutional monarchy, diversity, upholding the Constitution and the rule of law.

Let all those who have been elected to public office from both sides wake up and realise how imperative it is for them to get rid of adversarial politics, transcend partisan loyalties and focus on where it matters most – the well-being of the people and nation.

This is my sincere and earnest appeal to Najib and Anwar to show and lead the way towards the change and transformation that we, Malaysians, had hoped and prayed for.

Finally, let me end this with a few lines from this hymn, which I feel personally gratifying that it’s titled “Prayer of St Francis”.

“Make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

And where there is sadness, joy.”

God bless Malaysians and Malaysia. Let’s return to the way we used to be.

FRANCIS PAUL SIAH heads the Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS)