What politicians really mean to tell you…

You say you have the numbers, but you only mean that you have the numbers among 222 politicians, not among the 32 million Malaysians.

You say the balance of power is marginally in your favour, but you are really saying that the political situation is too close to call.

You apologise for making the wrong call but you are actually saying you miscalculated badly because the Yang Berhormats were anything but honourable and you, therefore, need to quickly rectify your mistake.

You say “we will compromise and let you have your way”, but it only means that you will cling on to power, come hell or high water. That would explain the many U-turns we have witnessed.

When you are like a drowning man clinging to a straw, the art of the impossible becomes possible.

When you are in uncharted territory, you will use every excuse to delay testing your strength in Parliament in the hope that your forces can be boosted by sell-outs and horse-trading where cash is king.

When you become desperate as you are, you will invoke anybody’s name to cling on to your desperate dreams and ambitions. Because it is the last throw of the dice.

When you are greedy for power because it is your one shot at beating the legal system, you will do everything to convince the people to trust a royal decree to prove you can do a better job at improving the economy and bringing back the good times. Why make use of the much loved and revered Agong?

When you say that you do not aspire to be DPM but it is what the people want, you are in fact saying I am including myself as part of the Cabinet (although you have not tested this claim by going back to the people to verify your claim).

When you say you do not mind going back to be a fisherman because a position of power does not interest you, what you are saying, in reality, is that you are a hypocrite, because you know you would never do that. (Prove me wrong and I will take back my words.)

When you say that we will be a government for all and everyone is your “brother”, what you probably meant is that some will remain “stepbrothers” to you.

If I were to say to you that I believe that everything I see is nothing more than a charade, a play, a wayang kulit, what would you say?

Because that would explain why the various political leaders from PAS, Umno, GPS and Warisan had met with the 7th prime minister before he resigned, ending PPBM’s relationship with PKR, DAP and Amanah. Hence the collapse of the PH Government.

At worst I am just a rambler blindly shooting arrows. But if I am anywhere close to the truth, welcome to the greatest show on earth.

Clement Stanley is an FMT reader.