Sebab Sebenar Kerajaan ‘Pintu Belakang’ Menjadi Isu Hangat

Whatever it may be, the backdoor government controversy has overshadowed many more important issues such as the coronavirus epidemic, struggling economy, high cost of living, broken election promises, high unemployment rate, increasing corruption in the government and private sector, cronyism and nepotism, lack of civil liberties, deteriorating race relations, religious differences, and much more.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Malaysians do not really have a mind of their own. They are what Malays would call Pak Turut — or, as they say in English, love jumping onto the bandwagon. Most times they do not even know what is on the bandwagon but they will jump onto it anyway merely because everyone else is doing it so they just follow what everyone else is doing.

The latest brouhaha is about the, kononnya, kerajaan ‘pintu belakang’ or backdoor government. What exactly is a backdoor government? Do all those who oppose (or support) the supposedly backdoor government even know what a backdoor government means?

Okay, frontdoor government means you enter the front door to form a government while backdoor government means you enter the back door to form a government. Simple!

Is a backdoor government illegal? No! Is it immoral? Can be! But then in politics morals do not come into the equation. If you are concerned about morals then become a priest, do not become a politician (and keep your hands off the choir boys).

Barisan Nasional, which was formed in 1973, was a backdoor government. The 16th September (2008) attempted coup would have been a backdoor government had it succeeded. If the formation of Barisan Nasional and the 16th September coup are considered legal and moral, why make so much noise about this latest backdoor government that they say is being planned?

Muakafat Nasional is strong merely because Pakatan Harapan is in a mess

What if PAS gave Umno, say, three EXCO seats each in Terengganu and Kelantan since Umno and PAS are now coalition partners in Muafakat Nasional? Would Umno not be entering the Terengganu and Kelantan State Governments through the back door? Would Umno decline the offer for EXCO posts in Terengganu and Kelantan, if offered, based on the principle of not wanting to be in the State Government through the back door?

It is not so much the backdoor government that is considered revolting to most people. It is the reason why it is even being discussed.

Many see this backdoor government, first of all, as an attempt by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to stay in power beyond 10th May 2020 and to prevent Anwar Ibrahim from taking over as PM8.

Kit Siang, Guan Eng and DAP gave Mahathir the excuse to stay in office beyond May 2020 by declaring that Malaysia is going bankrupt

They say the agreement was that Mahathir would stay in office as PM7 for just two years and then would vacate the post and hand over power to Anwar. Hence Mahathir is violating the agreement, which Anwar says is in writing.

Mahathir, on the other hand, says the country is in bad shape, financially, and he must first sort out this financial mess and only after the country is in better shape can he leave.

Actually, it was Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng and DAP that spread this fake news about Malaysia going bankrupt. They wanted to give the impression that Najib Tun Razak, Umno and Barisan Nasional messed up the country good and proper and if not for Pakatan Harapan Malaysia would be finished.

Malays calls this senjata makan tuan. Now Mahathir is using that same story about Malaysia going bankrupt as the excuse to stay in power and not hand over the PM’s post to Anwar. Hence Kit Siang, Guan Eng and DAP were the ones who dug Anwar’s grave. Mahathir is doing what the Chinese would call, killing his enemy with a borrowed knife.

Anwar has accepted the fact that the only way he can take over is to push Mahathir out by force

And with this kejajaan pintu belakang, if it happens, Mahathir can finish off DAP and Anwar. That is why many are against it. They want Mahathir to go, not for Anwar to be buried. And if this kerajaan pintu belakang happens then Mahathir can stay on as PM7 way beyond May 2020 and he can bury Anwar for good.

So, what is Anwar and DAP going to do now?

First of all, they must make sure that Muafakat Nasional and Mahathir or PPBM (plus the Azmin Ali faction in PKR) do not sleep in the same bed.

But how do they do that? Both PAS and Umno hate Kit Siang, Guan Eng and DAP worse than they hate gays, lesbians and Shias. PAS and Umno would tutup mata and support Mahathir just to bury DAP ten feet underground.

But not all in Umno favour a kerajaan pintu belakang with Mahathir. Many have personal differences with Mahathir and would rather suffer until the next general election (and try to get in, or get back in, through the ‘front door’) than do a deal with Mahathir.

Some in Umno are pro-Anwar as well, so understandably they want Mahathir out.

If Najib does not support the backdoor government it will not happen

Different people have different reasons for supporting or opposing Mahathir, which is quite understandable. And then there are people who always focus on the small picture instead of looking at the big picture.

In the meantime, Malaysia in general and Umno in particular are divided about doing a deal with Mahathir. Some see this as a way to hit at DAP. Some see this as a way to get back into the government. Some see this as a way to block Anwar from taking over as PM8. Some see this as a way to hurt Pakatan Harapan and ensure that in the next general election the voters will kick them out.

Whatever it may be, the backdoor government controversy has overshadowed many more important issues such as the coronavirus epidemic, struggling economy, high cost of living, broken election promises, high unemployment rate, increasing corruption in the government and private sector, cronyism and nepotism, lack of civil liberties, deteriorating race relations, religious differences, and much more.