Political ceasefire idea a non-starter, say analysts

 

Political analysts Romzi Ationg (left) and Awang Azman Pawi are sceptical about a proposed political ceasefire.

KOTA KINABALU: Analysts consider a political ceasefire between the government and the opposition to be a good idea but feel there will be hardly enough takers on the proposal.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah senior lecturer Romzi Ationg said a ceasefire would not bring any benefit to political players, who according to him “seemed only interested in gaining power.”

“It is possible that some might accept such a proposal but others may not.There is also a possibility of politicians attempting to manipulate the situation to pursue their own interests,” he told FMT.

The political ceasefire had been suggested by Upko president Wilfred Madius Tangau who had called for a confidence and supply agreement between the government and the opposition to allow Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration to govern without the worry of being overthrown.

Tangau, who is Tuaran MP, said the ceasefire could be a “democratic and sustainable solution” for the government as well as the opposition and could even last until June 16, 2023, when Parliament would be automatically dissolved.

Universiti Malaya’s Awang Azman Pawi also believed the proposal will receive lukewarm reception even from Pakatan Harapan, an ally of Upko and Warisan.

He said PH would only accept the political ceasefire if it could bring about a great impact for the coalition and its elected representatives such as the government agreeing to grant development funds equal to that given to government MPs.

“Anything less than that, PH will reject the proposal. This is because PH’s elected reps need as much allocation as they can get to better serve their constituencies,” he said.

UMS’ Lee Kuok Tiung also cannot see how a disunited opposition can agree on a proposal that could have far-reaching political implications.

He said this disunity meant Muhyiddin’s government still has the numbers, albeit slim, to form a minority government at least, “unless suddenly you see former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad or opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, and their respective leaders, deciding to put aside their differences and overthrow the present government”.

The issue is they don’t have the numbers to topple Muhyiddin so it is better to focus on the people’s livelihood and how to help them through this pandemic, he said. - FMT