The best way for Pakatan Harapan to become the government again is by regaining the rakyat's mandate through the ballot box in the next general election, instead of submitting all sorts of motions in Parliament, said PKR's Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim.
This comes after it was reported that Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Mohd Yusof had accepted a motion of no-confidence against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin which was filed by Langkawi MP Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
"Pakatan Harapan which now consists of only three parties, PKR, DAP and Amanah, should not be so obsessed with taking back the government through motions in Parliament.
"The best way to get the rakyat's mandate again is through the ballot box. The 15th general election (GE15) is not even three years away," Hassan said in a statement today.
He said Harapan should heed the lesson from the betrayal that occurred within the coalition on Feb 24, 2020, which caused the Harapan government to collapse.
Hassan then cited a Malay idiom with a lesson to leave behind what has been ruined and make a fresh start.
"Harapan used to be an alliance of four parties, now left with only three parties. There is a blessing.
"My advice is for Harapan to 'cook a new pot of rice'. This time cook it properly so it doesn't turn into porridge again," he said.
A government which is formed through a motion in Parliament will not last long, he cautioned, as its majority would be small and it could topple at any moment.
It is okay that Harapan is now the opposition again, he said, urging his colleagues in the coalition to remain patient.
Besides, he added, they are off to a good start as PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has been announced as the opposition leader in Parliament.
"All this time, Harapan has been the opposition. So let us be a constructive opposition this time and work to become the government again through the electoral process. That is more meaningful," he said.
The leadership should be confident that Harapan has many positive points which could enable it to win big in the upcoming GE15, Hassan said.
He also advised Harapan leaders to forget about the ministerial positions which have been lost to them and focus on important work related to politics, economy, social, culture and welfare of the rakyat.
Hassan then listed five things which he believes Harapan holds the advantage over the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.
First, he said, Harapan is a political coalition which is multi-racial and multi-religious, which mirrors the demographic of the whole country whereas PN is a mono-racial and mono-religious political cooperation coalition.
"They only mirror the demographic of the population on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia and not the real Malaysia," he said.
Secondly, he said the parties within Harapan have had a long history of working together against BN, starting as Barisan Alternatif in 1999 and later on as Pakatan Rakyat in 2008.
Meanwhile, PN was only formed at the end of February this year without any preparation, he said.
Thirdly, Harapan has a written shared manifesto called 'Buku Harapan', whereas PN does not have any manifesto at all as they are just like loose screws, he said.
Fourth, he said Harapan has a valid legal status as a political coalition which is registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) where PN is just a loose cooperation arrangement without any legal status.
He also reminded that Harapan's logo is also registered with the Election Commission (EC).
Lastly, Harapan already has experience in being the federal and state governments which will inspire confidence in the rakyat in the next election whereas PN's "license period" is only until GE15, Hassan said.
"So Harapan, please be confident in yourselves. Listen to the rakyat's views and the grassroots' support. Let not this be a case of upon hearing thunder in the sky, water from the storage containers is poured out (jangan didengar guruh di langit, air di tempayan dicurahkan)," he said.
Aside from Mahathir's no-confidence motion against Muhyiddin, Warisan president and Semporna MP Shafie Apdal had earlier submitted a motion of confidence to support Mahathir as prime minister to the Dewan Rakyat's speaker's office.
However, it was reported that Ariff had rejected this motion as he ruled it was unconstitutional.
Muhyiddin was appointed prime minister on March 1 by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the belief that the Pagoh MP commanded a majority of support from the MPs.
However, Muhyiddin has kept the actual number of parliamentarians who support him close to his chest.
Most analysts believe that Muhyiddin commands a wafer-thin majority at most.
The upcoming parliament sitting will take place on May 18 and will only convene for one day. - Mkini
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