Umno winning war against rakyat

The people are always the victim in political showdowns

COMMENT

Pakatan is a new entity, and if it were a human, it would be a teenager. The coalition survived its teething problems and the terrible-toddler phase of child development. The behaviour of Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim is like that of a recalcitrant child. Those of you who are parents will know what it is like to live with a truculent teenager.

The truculent teenager is a devil to live with. He refuses to listen because, in his opinion, “I do not have to listen to anything anyone tells me.” He is challenging in many ways. He has odd ideas about food. His taste in fashion is peculiar. He hogs the bathroom for hours, grooming himself. He is difficult to live and work with. He does not communicate with words, but grunts his disapproval or simply shrugs his shoulders. He disappears at weekends and does not tell his parents what he gets up to. In short, he has an attitude problem.

One political pundit said, “We trained our eyes on Azmin Ali, thinking that he would be the one to fail the party. In the end, it was Khalid who quietly betrayed everyone.”

Nik Nazmi wrote in a Malaysian online newspaper that, in 2006, many people were shocked when Khalid was appointed as PKR’s treasurer. “Despite the fact that he had previously sought office in Umno as a division chief, supreme council member and branch chief (all unsuccessfully), he was largely known to most Malaysians as a corporate captain.”

PKR is at fault for not vetting their candidates properly and not ensuring that they are scrupulously clean. It is better to have no candidate than to have one with an Umno Baru genetic make-up. Is it any wonder that the electorate complains about Pakatan politicians being carbon copies of Umno Baru? Pakatan is faced with the difficult job of undoing the mess created by PKR’s generosity.

The casual observer will have made four glaring observations.

If you or I were to default on a loan, the bank would legally seize our assets, be it house, land, car, or furniture, and sell them to recoup the loan. Khalid allegedly settled a personal debt of RM60 million with Bank Islam. Why can’t the banks be as generous to us? Even loan sharks call in their debts.

For decades, Selangor had few problems with water, but under Pakatan rule water has suddenly been made into a political tool.

If I were a voter in Selangor, I would be angry that the Menteri Besar reneged Pakatan’s policy of reducing toll roads.

Penang is vibrant. The city cultivates all manner of museums and galleries, along with music and the performing arts. Selangor, in comparison, is dead.

It is apparent that Khalid is not a team player, and the PKR disciplinary board has sent him a show cause letter for defying party rules. Now, both Khalid and PKR are trying to discredit one another.

In any political showdown, the rakyat is always the victim. Umno Baru is waiting in the sidelines, rubbing its hands with glee. Will Selangor implode and Umno Baru regain Selangor? Umno Baru will then have won the war against the rakyat. Or will you, the rakyat, prevent that from happening?

The silver lining is that the Selangor fiasco is happening now and not in 2017 or 2018, when GE14 will be held. If it were to happen then, Pakatan would have no chance of recovery before going to the polls.

• First. This mess gives Pakatan a chance to reassess itself and re-evaluate its relationship with the coalition partners, especially PAS. If anecdotal evidence is to be believed, many moderate Malays despise Umno Baru but are unwilling to vote for PAS because of its stance of religious conservatism. They are put off by the hudud issue, which crops up regularly. The non-Muslims are anxious because of the Bible issue and other religious matters, which must make them wonder if PAS has their interests at heart. Moderate PAS politicians must break ranks and show that in the modern world, one can preach and practise democracy without compromising one’s position as a true Muslim.
• Second. Corruption, nepotism and cronyism are not just cultural traits of Umno Baru. If it is not the old boy network, it is the old Umno Baru network. If a candidate is proposed for any role within Pakatan, the party must improve its vetting procedures. It must check for embarrassing episodes, criminal activities and, most important, seek a declaration of the candidate’s assets.
• Third. This imbroglio will demonstrate the way in which the royal household maintains its perception of neutrality, unless certain factions drag the Sultan into the political quicksand.
• Fourth. We will know if the parties and rakyat will support a woman MB or will accede to the wish of those who have no right to intervene to prevent a woman from becoming an MB.
• Fifth. The problems besetting Selangor may appear harmful in the short term, but in the long term will only strengthen Pakatan. This mess has been created to annihilate Anwar Ibrahim’s political life, his party and his coalition. It is also a way of undermining the rakyat. Pakatan may flounder and drop dead, but only if you, the rakyat, allow it.

It is only with your support that we will see the emergence of a more formidable Pakatan and a stronger two-party system which will benefit Malaysia in the long-run.

If you take the path of least resistance, you will end up accommodating Umno Baru.