YOURSAY | '30 dalil' book on Zahid is no surprise

 

YOURSAY | 'Our literary skills are only good at writing books to bring other people down.'

'30 dalil' propaganda book part of attempt to attack, oust Zahid

Ferdtan: Isn't slander, or making false accusations, one of the major sins in Islam? If so, why is this method often being used by Malay-majority parties to topple their leaders?

1. This started in 1998 under former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's government when it moved to sack Anwar Ibrahim as deputy prime minister. The ‘50 Dalil Mengapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Jadi PM’ (50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot be PM) book was released prior to Anwar's sacking. The book, penned by the late Khalid Jafri, succeeded, with Anwar sent to prison.

2. In 2014, a similar kind of ‘dalil’, a 91-page "dossier" was released by PKR on Khalid Ibrahim to remove him as Selangor menteri besar. Then Azmin Ali, while Anwar was still in prison, was the de facto strongman of the party, especially in Selangor.

3. It has come a full circle. Indeed, what goes around comes around. It has returned to Umno, where it first began. Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is now the victim of the infamous ‘dalil’ conspiracy.

Should we say, serve you right, even if it is to a 'deserving' person? Guess not, as it is a cowardly way to fight a political battle. Be a 'jantan' (courageous) and tell it to Zahid's face. I’d love to see how Zahid would react.

Quo Vadis: None of the current political skirmishes in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) parties has any concern for the welfare of the people at large who are struggling to cope with the shattering, ongoing Covid-19 pandemic which has upended all of our lives.

While other countries are taking various measures to bring some relief, PN politicians are only interested in consolidating their position and power, playing musical chairs with impunity.

Imagine, in the debate over the DPM's post, the discussion reportedly turned to the millions that can be made or lost by virtue of holding the position. Is that what all that post is worth?

And now the debate rages on the disclosure of a secret account of a political party in power, funds held in contravention of the laws of the country. Yet there is no action, not a word, not a pipsqueak from the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

Is this what the last 60 years of BN government finally brought us all to? And incredibly, it is the same coterie, the cabal, and the same plots.

If, as the party leader and erstwhile DPM of the previous government reportedly claimed, that democracy is dead in this country, is he not also saying that the vote of people has no meaning, and does not count? Whither bound, my beloved country?

Jackal Way: All these 'dalil' poison booklets or letters are no surprise at all. It all boils down to the rotten DNA of Malay politicking.

For all we know, there is nothing that they learn all these years, except attempting to destroy their respective opponents or even the minorities of different race and religion.

Just Malaysian: Our literary skills are only good at writing books to bring other people down. Pathetic.

OrangeJaguar9341: Bersatu is led by people like Muhyiddin Yassin and Azmin, who backstabbed their colleagues and orchestrated the treacherous Sheraton Move. There is no depth to which they will not sink to stay in power and enjoy the wealth it brings.

They will not hesitate to destroy anyone or any group that threatens their grip on power. We're talking about people who imposed an emergency to suspend Parliament and stop elected MPs from holding them accountable.

Within that perspective, Zahid and his allies, who oppose cooperating with Bersatu in the 15th general election, would have to be subdued and crippled. I don't, for one minute, believe it is about Zahid's corruption cases. As long as the courts do their job, Zahid could be behind bars - in time.

Milshah: There are three strategies Umno could deploy:

1. Go it alone under BN;

2. Work with PAS under Muafakat Nasional; or

3. Form a coalition with PAS and Bersatu.

The first option is the easiest but most risky. Umno can go it alone and win if they maintain their current rural Malay support base plus a return of Malay voters that supported Pakatan Harapan in the previous general election.

Indeed, this has been the strategy even before the previous GE. Umno never needed PAS votes as PAS has always been against Umno in previous general elections. The success of this strategy would largely depend on a return of Malay voters that voted for Harapan and young voters.

The second option is what I would have preferred with average risk. Based on previous general election votes, just combine the votes from Umno and PAS and that would be enough for them to win many seats and form the government. This is on the assumption that Harapan still retains its voters, which under Anwar, I seriously doubt.

The last option is an Umno-PAS-Bersatu coalition. This is the least risky as it is almost certain they would win. As Harapan has lost any pull factor to attract Malay voters and any move by its leaders to attract the Malay votes would only upset the non-Malays, it is almost certain that this combo will win the next GE.

However, this has a long-term implication, since all three parties compete for the same votes and all want to be the dominant party, which would lead to political uncertainty in future. Overall, I think they would still win over Harapan. We’ll see what happen in the next GE.

Kawak: Malaysian political culture is such that politicians are inclined to side with a party and a leader that holds power. It is solely a matter of benefits, government positions and favours that come with it.

There are no surprises that PAS MPs and some Umno MPs, who are rewarded with government positions, are clinging on to the prime minister and Bersatu.

Jamy: There may be weaknesses in Umno, but the solution is not by playing the second fiddle to Bersatu or even PAS.

Both Bersatu and PAS know that without the largest party with the biggest grassroots support, they can never win, neither can their people retain their positions. They are using Umno as a stepping stone to achieving their agenda.

Once they become powerful, there will come a time when they will do not have to rely on Umno anymore.

It is time for those in Umno to find a better solution than to destroy the party that their founding fathers built. This attack against Zahid will again weaken the party. It will make it easy for the vultures that are circulating around it to finish it off.

DrPK: Indeed, Umno needs to revamp itself. All leaders perceived as being tainted should step down and let a new generation of leaders who are motivated by service to the people step up. The warlords and money politics need to be curbed.

This applies to all the other parties too. We are sick of these self-serving politicians. - Mkini