Najib would have fully approved of the PAS-Umno alliance

MP SPEAKS | Barisan Nasional Adviser Najib Abdul Razak would have fully approved of the PAS-Umno Alliance as his global kleptocracy is continuing to make waves – paving the way to make PAS and Umno “one family”.

Imagine getting an Islamist party to virtually accept kleptocracy as a major plank of the alliance, which must be a “first” in the world – a founder of the Global Movement of Moderates moving on to be a founder of the Global Movement of Kleptocrats!

And even more “satisfying”, MCA and MIC are again playing ball and giving their blessing for the PAS-Umno alliance of klepto-theocracy, despite the earlier MCA threat to “kick” Umno out of Barisan Nasional if it “coddles up with PAS” to form an unholy pact with PAS.

A wag would have said that in celebrating the PAS-Umno alliance of klepto- theocracy, PAS has become “kafir” which Umno had accused it of, and Umno become “deviant” as it had been denounced by PAS, with both endorsing the global kleptocrat as their leader, open or covert.

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With the PAS-Umno alliance of klepto-theocracy, the toxic politics of race and religion will be escalated to a new level never seen in Malaysian politics, and cybertroopers – man and machine – will swamp the Internet, in particular, the social media, with a sea of lies, falsehoods, fake news and hate speech, pitting race against race, religion against religion, civilisation against civilisation.

Malaysiakini yesterday carried eight stories related to the PAS-UMNO alliance:

• Together again after 41 years: What PAS and Umno leaders say;
• How Harapan is reacting to Umno-PAS union
• Despite appearances, Zahid assures Umno-PAS pact not about racial politics
• Hadi: We're family now, Umno may be brought into PAS-led gov'ts
• Ending decades of rivalry, Hadi cites common ground in new PAS-Umno marriage
• Umno, PAS ink charter formalising political alliance
• Thousands throng PWTC to witness historic Umno-PAS joint charter signing
• Umno-PAS alliance - who's to blame?

In every one of these eight stories, the following commentator, “Anonymous 0123456789”, appeared and he posted:

• I came... I saw... and I can confidently conclude that the PAS/Umno Penyatuan Ummah is a force to be reckoned with.
• Pakatan Harapan will be only a one-term government.
• Not Mahathir, not Anwar nor Azmin can stop the PAS/Umno ‘Muafakat Nasional’ phenomenon.
• DAP is the poison that will kill Harapan.

“Anonymous 0123456789” is a top cybertrooper and will be able to claim quite a hefty sum of money for his ingenuity, inventiveness and enterprise from his paymaster. I think he deserves a bonus too!

That is the “face” of the enemy of Malaysia – who wants the New Malaysia objective of the Harapan government to fail, even if it destroys Malaysia as a viable, just, progressive and prosperous Malaysia, and misses the boat in resetting nation-building policies to transform Malaysia into a top world-class nation of unity, freedom, justice, excellence and integrity.

When PAS was betrayed in the first PAS-Umno alliance and the Kelantan government fell to Barisan Nasional in 1977, as secretary-general of DAP and Parliamentary opposition leader, I was the only voice speaking in defence of PAS in Parliament, where I said on Nov 8, 1977:

“If parliamentary democracy and the Federal-State system is to survive, it is paramount that those in power realise and understand that whatever the political differences or however intense the party rivalries, democratic principles and the fundamental safeguards in the constitution for a democratic society should not be sacrificed in the furtherance of partisan political interests.

“Government ministers have often warned that the communists want to use ‘democracy to destroy democracy’, but let us remember that in many Asian and African countries, ruling parties through their dominant parliamentary majorities have used ‘democracy to destroy democracy’ and instituted instead authoritarian and totalitarian regimes.

“It is not good enough that what parliament is being asked this evening, to impose NOC-type of rule in Kelantan, that it is permitted under Article 150 of the Malaysian Constitution; for strict and scrupulous adherence to the laws of the land can also lay the basis for an undemocratic, authoritarian and even totalitarian system in Malaysia.

“As the deputy dean of the Law Faculty of the University of Malaya, Nik Rashid, at the recent Law Conference on ‘Erosion of Fundamental Rights’ said, unless there were checks and balance on the executive powers, it was not unreasonable to suggest that there would come a day when the executive could table a bill in parliament amending the constitution and giving it the power to legislate and to amend the constitution by regulation. And this too will be legal!”

When emergency was declared in Kelantan and the PAS Government fell in the state after the parliamentary bill on November 1977, I pointed out at the time that the originators of Barisan Nasional had claimed that it represented the wave of the future, that Barisan Nasional would reduce politicking and concentrate on development efforts, and there was even talk that there was no need for an opposition which was described by one Minister at the time as “unnecessary and evil”!

It has taken four decades for the Barisan Nasional concept to collapse, and BN was in power. As the nursery rhyme “Humpty Dumpty sat on a Wall” goes,

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,

All the king's horses and all the king's men,

Couldn't put Humpty together again.

And that was when the coalition was in power.

In opposition, I am very sceptical that the PAS-Umno alliance of klepto-theocracy can take off.

Pakatan Harapan has two choices – to out-Malay Umno and out-Islam PAS, and further alienate the 5.5 million voters from all races and religions who made history and created a miracle on May 9, 2018 to carry out a peaceful and democratic transition of power, for the first time in six decades or to keep faith with the 5.5 million voters to implement the New Malaysia agenda and win over the 2.5 million voters who voted for Umno and the two million voters who voted for PAS in the 14th General Election, and create the greatest body of moderate middle Malaysia.

Harapan will fail and fall between the two stools if it opts for the first choice. It must be sincere, courageous and visionary – the stuff that made the history and the miracle May 9, 2018 – and move purposefully in pursuit of the second choice in the national mission to save Malaysia and transform the country into a new Malaysia which is a top world-class nation of unity, justice, freedom, excellence and integrity, proving to the world that Malaysia can be an example of the success of the Alliance of Civilisations – as Malaysia is the confluence of the four great civilisations in the world, Malay/Islamic, Chinese, Indian and Western – and not a failure from the Clash of Civilisations.

The PAS-Umno alliance of klepto-theocracy is banking on the hope that the Harapan government is a one-term government – and it will be right if Pakatan Harapan responds to the challenge of the PAS-Umno alliance by opting for the first choice of trying to out-Malay Umno and out-Islam PAS.

But if the Harapan government takes the high ground and is guided by the five pillar-promises of the Pakatan Harapan Manifesto in the GE14, the PAS-UMNO alliance of klepto-theocracy is likely to implode even before GE15.

This is because the National Co-operation Charter of the PAS-Umno alliance had been violated even before the ink of the charter was dry.

The first principle of the five-point charter is about “honour and defence” of the Federal Constitution – but the PAS leadership had violated this vital principle as it does not accept a Chinese, Indian, Kadazan or Iban who is a Malaysian citizen as the prime minister of Malaysia, which is provided by Article 43 of the Malaysian Constitution.

I have said that I do not foresee a non-Malay becoming Prime Minister of Malaysia in my life-time, but the PAS leadership rejects any possibility of an “Obama moment” for Malaysia, even if it takes 100 years!

A kleptocrat can become the prime minister of Malaysia, but not a clean, honest, God-fearing Chinese, Indian, Kadazaan or Iban. Yet PAS leaders claim that they are not racist, narrow-minded, extremist or anti-Malaysian!

The charter also becomes a farce when it talks about “good governance” and yet the PAS-Umno alliance is silent about Najib’s kleptocracy!

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LIM KIT SIANG is Iskandar Puteri MP. - Mkini