A nation in a rut

Malaysia needs a new leadership, but neither BN nor the opposition has much to offer.

COMMENT

Prime Minister Najib Razak appears to be stuck in a political quagmire. The hardliners in Umno are obviously pushing for more authoritarian handling of dissent, and it is imperative that he not appear weak to them for fear that they will turn against him. But then, in cracking down on his political opponents much like Mahathir Mohamad did during his time, Najib risks the further displeasure of the rakyat.

This is a theme that has played time and time again throughout his reign – the inability to balance the need for openness, accountability, fairness and all the other expressions of a true democracy with the demands and expectations of his party.

Of course, Najib is not alone in being the target of vilification. His Cabinet, for instance, has become a laughing stock. And his attorney-general, his police chief, the MACC and his other agents and agencies are not faring any better. It is safe to say that more and more Malaysians are coming to the conclusion that the country is in desperate need of a new leadership.

Then again, it’s not like the opposition is faring any better. Ever since the cracks began to appear in Pakatan Rakyat during the Selangor MB crisis, the opposition has been stuck in its own rut. PKR is nowhere to be found these days, only appearing every once in a while to endorse the actions of DAP, which seems to be spearheading the opposition agenda right now. PAS is sinking into its own irrelevance, making enemies on all sides and facing the near certainty of a huge drop in voter support at the next general election.

The opposition’s biggest mistake was not having a game plan in place following the incarceration of their charismatic leader, Anwar Ibrahim. Without a figurehead to embody the opposition agenda, without a focal point of unity, and without a mediator, Pakatan Rakyat fell apart, and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again.

DAP is one of the best organised political parties in the country, and it boasts a roster of talented professionals. However, this very prominence may cause a backlash from the rural and more conservative voters, who may feel uncomfortable giving so much power to a “Chinese” party.

What about PKR, you ask. Is there any hope for it? Good question. The party has lately been functioning as little more than the Anwar News Network, even though its Deputy President is the Menteri Besar of the country’s richest state. Azmin Ali has been noticeably quiet of late, which is surprising, given his promising start. The party that was once the linchpin of the opposition is in severe danger of becoming irrelevant.

With the ruling Barisan Nasional and the opposition force each in its own deadlock, it appears that we can do nothing more that just sit back and watch events play out as one political issue is replaced by another and nothing gets resolved.