Shafie: Time to move beyond Dr M vs Anwar, oppose 'old-male elites'

 

Out with the old, in with the new - that's the way to reset Malaysian politics in 2021, Warisan president Shafie Apdal said today.

Among others, the former Sabah chief minister said Malaysia needs to move beyond the political rivalry between Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim - which he said was the original cause of the coup last February.

He also said the country must unite to oppose "old-male-dominated elite parties".

Shafie - who has been active in politics since the 1990s - said this in a speech at the Regional Outlook Forum 2021, hosted by the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute.

He said there needs to be a new political movement to address the "huge vacuum" left by old-male-dominated elites, especially among Umno, Bersatu and PAS.

Their ideologies have failed to address the needs of regular Malays, non-Malays, east-Malaysians, women and youths, he added.

"There should be a new movement to fill the vacuum.

"We should move beyond the personal politics of Mahathir and Anwar. We should empower a movement of all Malaysians to unite against the old, male-dominated elite parties and to give space and rooms to everyone to find their voices and unleash their potential," Shafie said.

He also said there needs to be a new Malaysian narrative for three key pillars - political, economical and social.

"There is no place left for racial and religious politics.

"Unity needs to be the bedrock for reform, through a participatory democracy, one which is fully represented across key stakeholders - old and young, urban and rural, liberals and conservatives through a values-based system of governance which transcends race and religion," he said.

Shafie has been pushing for a change of leadership in the opposition, which is currently headed by Anwar as Pakatan Harapan chairperson.

The Warisan president, however, is seen as a proxy of Mahathir by some critics, after the latter decided to back Shafie as a prime minister candidate.

Shafie previously said it need not necessarily be him to take over the opposition's reins, but he did say an East Malaysian should be considered.

Besides Shafie, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu have also called for a political reset - after Anwar failed to get Umno lawmakers to defect and oppose Budget 2021.

Anwar's party PKR, however, seems to be adamant that its president can still form a new government through defections. - Mkini