Poisonous political frogs in Pakatan’s midst

Voters lining up to cast their vote at the 2018 general election which put Pakatan Harapan in power.

Of late, there have been rumours of a realignment of the government, dubbed “Pakatan Nasional”, to include parties that were soundly rejected by the people at the 14th general election.

Whether such rumours are true remains to be seen but some publications seem to swear by it, as a foregone conclusion in the not so distant horizon. It is speculated that there might be a collaboration between Pakatan Harapan, Umno and PAS, something only possible with horse-trading in the background which only a few are privy to.

PAS has even announced the unprecedented step of moving a motion of confidence for the prime minister at the next parliamentary sitting in March.

Normally, the opposition moves motions of no confidence as the confidence in the head of government is presumed. To move a motion of confidence serves no purpose as it would merely affirm the status quo i.e. that the PM does enjoy the confidence in Parliament.

But that is not what this motion of confidence proposed by PAS is about.

It is about finding a way into government, never mind the fact that PAS has been hostile, to say the least, in its support of government bills in Parliament. The MA63 bill last April when all PAS MPs abstained from voting comes to mind as a fine example of the party’s reluctance in supporting the government.

Suddenly, they want to support the PM.

Whether or not Umno joins this charade remains to be seen.

One thing is for certain: the complexion of PH today is very different from what it was on May 10, 2018. Today, we have political frogs within our midst, ready to jump again at the earliest opportunity of a better future, regardless of what their voters wished.

Yes, a realignment of the government is possible, unfortunately because there are no laws in this country outlawing party-hopping. It is possible to have a completely different line-up in government after the votes are cast at the ballot box, through political manoeuvring designed for only one purpose, the survival of the fittest.

In the UK, there have been four successful motions of no confidence against the government since 1895, two of which resulted in the dissolution of Parliament. The defeats by the government in 1895 and January 1924 led to the resignation of the government while the defeats in October 1924 and 1979 were followed by requests for a dissolution.

That has never happened here before.

But political frogs are a norm in this country. Such frogs are poisonous as they have absolutely no regard or respect for those who voted them in. As far as they are concerned, it’s about belonging to the right camp, betting on the right horse for their own vested interests.

Where does all this leave the rakyat? Nowhere I’m afraid.

The reality of our system is that it is possible to defy the will of the rakyat through political manoeuvring after the vote is cast.

Did the rakyat vote for a possible Pakatan Nasional, with the likes of Umno and PAS in it? Did the rakyat vote for a new, better Malaysia? Did the rakyat expect a ‘realignment’ of the government they chose so soon after GE14?

It is time we go back to the rakyat. We are here because of them, not because of anything else. They chose a new Malaysia. They dreamt of reforms.

If there are political manoeuvres in the background, it must stop now or we will face the wrath of the rakyat at the next elections.

We must respect the mandate of the people.

Ramkarpal Singh is MP for Bukit Gelugor.- FMT