Liew: Dr M and Anwar must come together, right now

After the "Pakatan Harapan plus" conclave yesterday, in which no decisions were publicly announced, one DAP leader has emerged to call for Dr Mahathir Mahathir and PKR president Anwar Ibrahim to close ranks.

In a long essay today, DAP central committee member Liew Chin Tong (photo, above), a key envoy and thinker for the party, said the duo must recognise the achievements of the Pakatan Harapan administration and continue to chart the way forward for coalition politics.

Liew said coalition governments would likely continue to be the norm in Malaysian politics and it was important for Mahathir and Anwar to jointly create a new format of coalition politics.

"For coalition governments to keep together — in the present case, for forces aligned to Mahathir and Anwar to coexist for the long haul — it is important that a format is created in which all sides feel comfortable even when their leader is not the prime minister.

"Managing differences or even distrust, and building a coalition government that can stand the test of time and crises should be a major concern for political leaders who wish to build back better.

"I hope both Mahathir and Anwar see their historic roles akin to that of Nelson Mandela's.

"Not the Mandela that was in jail for 27 years but president Mandela who knew that his responsibility was — in a short span of time in office — to lay a solid foundation that can last a generation or two," he said.

If this fails, Liew warned that the "old order" will come back and roll back Harapan's achievements and allow "kleptocrats" to escape justice.

"Whether we mobilise for a general election or seek to restore the Pakatan government, both Mahathir and Anwar will have to fully realise that they have to come together.

"Not just as a coalition of convenience but as a solid progressive coalition fighting against a protracted war against the old order - Umno," he said.

Meanwhile, Liew also posited that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's forces were now focussing on dividing Harapan and its allies in a bid to increase his majority in Parliament ahead of the sitting next month.

"If Muhyiddin can increase his majority to 125 seats in the next two weeks, he will be able to walk in style into Parliament on July 13, feeling secure in his seat.

"If so, he may sit comfortably in power for a while, before starting out on an authoritarian path to crush any new threat to his rule," said Liew.

He said Muhyiddin was likely to attempt to boost his majority in the coming weeks or seek a fresh election in a September/October election before Budget 2021 is tabled. - Mkini