MAHATHIR’S HOUSE OF CARDS STARTS TO TUMBLE : A WINDOW INTO ‘UTTER DISAPPOINTMENT’ BERSATU – A POOR IMITATION OF UMNO EVEN TO THE MALAYS

When the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU) was formed nearly three years ago, many expected that the party will serve as the perfect vehicle for reform-minded politicians to drive the change that is needed to push UMNO out of power. 

While politics along the lines of ethnicity is not everyone’s cup of tea, many Malaysians were willing to compromise the inclusion of BERSATU into Pakatan Harapan, on the basis that it is comprised of individuals not tainted by the spectre of UMNO. 

BERSATU’s caporegime, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, also proved to be instrumental in garnering the vital support from the Malay hinterlands for Pakatan Harapan. 

BERSATU came into power on the shoulders of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and the Democratic Action Party (DAP). Over several months however, they have managed to bolster themselves with party-hoppers and cravens from UMNO, as well as several ministerial portfolios.

Aside from the khat-tastrophic performances of BERSATU ministers, or lack thereof, many among us also started to notice something. 

Today, we see familiar lines and patterns emerging again.

Not more than two weeks ago, news surfaced on the appointment by the Youth and Sports Minister, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, of the 13 members of BERSATU’s youth wing, ARMADA, as KBS’ state-level officials. Before that, many highlighted the shady structure of his Youth Power Clubs, which is seen by many to only be a vehicle of financing for ARMADA.

Despite positioning himself as the torchbearer of mature politics, it seems that even Syed Saddiq is not entirely devoid of the old UMNO DNA within him.

More importantly, Syed Saddiq mirrors the existence of BERSATU itself: merely a new packaging of the same old.

Going down a few levels, we also see similar hubris with BERSATU’s grassroots. Recently, A Kadir Jasin, the staunch mouthpiece of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself, wrote about how BERSATU members in Johor should choose their leaders based on his loyalty to the country and BERSATU’s central command, and not his loyalty to the state he is based in. 

Social media was also buzzed recently with an alleged phonecall by BERSATU Johor’s chairman Mazlan Bujang, who is also the ADUN for Puteri Wangsa, ordering a public official to do his bidding with regards to status of businesses sealed by the state government in Pasir Gudang. 

The Osman Sapian debacle that happened not long ago, where BERSATU and the Johor palace crossed swords over who should be the next Mentri Besar, opened up many windows for us to have a peek into this party. 

Within Johor itself, the heartland of Malay politics, BERSATU make up less than 10 seats in the state assembly. For its members to exhibit such pomposity, with no regards to the local political landscape and the Istana, should remind us of the potential monster we have in our midst. 

BERSATU has repeatedly challenged everyone, from royal families to ordinary Malaysians, when it comes to the way they do things and handle themselves. With Tun Dr Mahathir at its helm, it reeks of the same conceitedness we witnessed during UMNO’s golden days. 

With one exception: it is not nearly as effective and smart as UMNO. 

Coming in as a potential replacement to UMNO, BERSATU unfortunately did not manage to attract the former’s best and brightest into its folds. From people like Mazlan Bujang to the many party hoppers within BERSATU, we only see arrogant politicians who defected from the status quo when the tides turned. 

With many important ministerial portfolios from education to entrepreneurship handed to them, it comes as unsurprising as to why we still have engineering graduates deliver food as their full-time jobs.

On a more personal note, as a Malay voter myself, BERSATU has been an utter disappointment. Here was the chance for its party members to reform a vital part of the Malay identity, but unfortunately, political survival takes a higher precedence for them over modernising the Malays. 

It is high time for this party to realise the thin ice they are treading. It is also high time for us Malaysians to look at BERSATU for what it really is: a poor imitation of UMNO.

WRITER: Fazrul Muhammad