Beyond Dr M: What of Bersatu and Harapan?

Yesterday, we evaluated Dr Mahathir Mohamed from more personal angles. Today, let us consider questions that concern the larger political context and landscape.

The first issue we will address is one that I really feel has been grossly overlooked: Mahathir’s new party, Bersatu.

Pakatan Harapan’s decision to name Mahathir as candidate for prime minister is not the end of the matter.

When the time comes, should Harapan win a majority in Parliament, parliamentarians from PKR, DAP, Amanah and Bersatu will presumably declare their support for Mahathir, which is where he derives his position from.

Said position will always be dependent on the support from these parliamentarians, and which can be withdrawn at any time, so the dynamics between them will be important.

What does Bersatu really stand for?

I was a little surprised to hear that 18-month old Bersatu will contest the most seats in Peninsular Malaysia as this does make sense to an extent if Mahathir is to be made PM.

The question I find myself asking is: what do Bersatu and their parliamentarians really stand for?

I realise I don’t know what their position is on things like bumiputera privileges or whether they have any genuine commitment to issues like human rights.

To be honest, it took me a while to even remember who their leaders were beyond Mahathir - his son Mukhriz Mahathir (photo) and ex-deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Even then, I could only think of fellow writer Rais Hussin and Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman.

Not knowing who will represent Bersatu in their 52 seats or what they will truly stand for and who they will ultimately stand with, introduces a large and very significant element of uncertainty.

While the PM’s post is an extremely important one, the PM cannot maintain his position without maintaining the support of a united coalition.

I feel we should thus be pressing Harapan and testing the degree of their unity instead of focusing only on who they put forth as a candidate for premiership.

Mahathir is a unique individual in a unique position. This is a large part of the reason he was chosen by Harapan to lead them into GE14.

The question is, where does Harapan stand post-Mahathir?

Once he is no longer in the picture, what happens to the likes of Muhyiddin (photo) and Mukhriz, both of whom have really been relatively silent in the public eye.

The slightly more wary among us may even read this as a sign of non-commitment; what if those two are trying to keep a back channel open, just in case an opportunity to rejoin Umno becomes available?

For that matter, where do the grassroots of Bersatu stand? Presumably consisting primarily of ex-Umno members, can they be counted on to support Harapan in the long run especially if it remains in the opposition?

What happens should the premiership fall from Bersatu to another Harapan component party? Will the party threaten to leave the coalition? Do they have sufficient motivation to play second fiddle, as a sacrifice for the cause?

Can Harapan cross finish line?

One must imagine that if all these are true, surely there must be some reason why Harapan decided on Mahathir in the end.

I suppose the strongest reason is as I wrote about recently is the impact Mahathir is likely to have on the seats Harapan has been struggling the most with.

If we were to gauge by BN’s focus, it would appear that they concur that Mahathir is indeed the biggest threat.

One can presume that Harapan’s political calculations must have gone along the lines of: if we don’t make it this year, there may not be much of a Harapan left to speak of.

Thus, Harapan is likely counting on Mahathir to swing enough seats in the semi-rural and rural areas, to cross that precious 50 percent mark.

Politically speaking, this is the biggest reason to choose Mahathir, and according to some, the only reason that matters at the end of the day.

Mahathir has been, and continues to be, a huge lightning rod in Malaysian politics.

As we move forward after Harapan’s decision to name him their candidate for prime minister, I believe Malaysia’s long-term interests are best served not by harping excessively over what Mahathir’s past means for his future.

Instead, we should be trying to determine what truly are the best ways for us to revitalise democracy and democratic institutions in Malaysia, and to instil a much higher level of integrity in our government.

I have a feeling that hastily arranged marriages of convenience have the odds stacked against them ultimately, and that this holds true no matter who Harapan chooses as PM.

The future belongs not to the shortsighted but to those willing to work hard, through years of wandering in the wilderness, in order to build the foundations of institutions and movements that will withstand the test of time.

---

NATHANIEL TAN will be on a panel of speakers at a forum on Mahathir tomorrow night at 8.30pm at the KLSCAH. All are welcome, he says.- Mkini