Malaysian political drama looks like a bad Netflix script

 

Political cohorts will continue to set the narrative for this country. If Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders are unable to get their act together, it does not matter who is the captain of the ship in the absence of a destination.

The opposition failed in its bid to reject the 2021 budget despite its tenacity through countless voting at the committee stages. We cannot deny a moral dilemma by rejecting it as it would further delay the assistance for the people in facing the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our economy needs to be prioritised over a political play of denying Perikatan Nasional (PN) its numbers.

Yes, Malaysians may have stopped debating the legitimacy of the current government, but it does not mean that we are ignorant.

Everyone is mentally drained from watching the political drama unfolding like a bad script from a Netflix series. It looked more like a bad remake than an original series.

What were the key points from the 2021 budget? Are there new economic policies to help reshape our economy during this unprecedented time? Is there enough money allocated to incentivise frontliners for their national service?

Will the Malaysian government fund vaccination for everyone, just like Indonesia? Endless questions were raised regarding the budget as it was debated by MPs.

But backbenchers were defensive in their narrative that it should not be leveraged as a way to denounce the legitimacy of the PN government. Even the excuse by some MPs in absenting or abstaining from voting was baffling.

We speak of youths being the future of our nation and yet their voice is being sidelined or considered unpolished when it comes to criticising leaders.

It must be acknowledged that bashing senior leaders in WhatsApp groups stems from ignorance. Frailty of human nature, when it comes to the game of power, subjects the oblivious to be manipulated for another person’s agenda.

The national agenda should be unity and this must be shown by both factions.

Clearly, PN is still figuring out its “toxic” marriage while PH’s outing with strange bedfellows is not helping at all. With one suicide case happening every day since the movement control order was first implemented, political suicide is the only thing that these leaders care most.

Malaysians are begging for leaders not to hang their dirty laundry out in public or at least show some solidarity for the sake of rebuilding our nation.

We do not want half-time superstars in the court, but great all-time leaders who can charm the opponents by earning their respect.

Aida Amin is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.