Malaysia needs a saviour, not a prime minister

 

Barely 13 months after Malaysia’s eighth prime minister was sworn in, the nation is buzzing again over who will be the next person to move into Seri Perdana.

It is a popular belief that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin knows his government is untenable and his hold on power is slipping by the day, principally because (as he had earlier conceded) “...this government was not elected by the people (but we still care for you)”.

It is a fact that the majority of Malaysians do not recognise this unelected Perikatan Nasional (PN) government and consider it illegitimate. The prime minister is not blind; he knows this. And that is why he is keen to call for elections as soon as possible.

Is it any wonder then why Muhyiddin has not had an easy ride ever since he became PM on March 1, 2020, coming in via the back door?

It wasn’t the Covid-19 pandemic or the economic meltdown that bogged him down but the endless, messy and pathetic politicking. Add in the friendly and unfriendly shots (not the vaccine kind) aimed directly at him from all four corners throughout the past 13 months. Wasn’t that distracting enough?

I doubt Muhyiddin was able to function effectively as a prime minister this past year. How is that possible when you cannot even trust your own cabinet of very strange bedfellows in your hastily cobbled government?

That has proven to be the PM’s worst nightmare with Umno deciding to cut ties with Muhyiddin’s Bersatu going into the 15th general election, expected in August after the emergency ends.

August is only four months away. Will we be surprised that for the next four months, Muhyiddin will have little or no time to run the nation as prime minister but will be planning (read scheming, conspiring or even conniving) on how to win GE15?

For Bersatu in particular, GE15 is a “do or die” battle and a fight for political survival. It is a fight to the finish. Surely, Muhyiddin will not want to be Malaysia’s shortest-serving prime minister. So don’t expect the PM and his band of self-serving desperados to take the polls lying down.

I expect GE15 to be murkier and dirtier than some of our disgusting public toilets. It will involve a lot of cutting sleazy deals, buying and selling of serving MPs and potential candidates, backstabbing and treachery.

Folks, do not expect anything to change after GE15. As long as the same players refuse to step down and still think it is their God-forsaken right to lead the nation, nothing will change.

Seriously, I am not bothered who becomes prime minister today or after the next election. Whether it is still Muhyiddin, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Warisan chief Shafie Apdal, Umno's Mohamad Hasan, PAS head Abdul Hadi Awang, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu or whoever, I don’t care. None of them will change my life, or even yours.

In fact, I don’t think Malaysia needs a prime minister. We need a saviour. If we cannot find one among our political leaders, then we have to earnestly seek one outside of politics. I do not know where to find one but I know we need one urgently and desperately.

At times, I wish that those responsible for the mysterious disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh and three others would wave their magic wand and make a saviour appear from nowhere to save Malaysia.

Intoxicated with power

Nay, I’m not joking. I’m seriously contemplating that wish because I’m desperate. We are getting nowhere with the same parasites, leeches and suckers hanging around Parliament and refusing to let go. People intoxicated with power and greed know next to nothing about redemption and salvation.

By the way, did any of the 220 (minus the two who had passed away) MPs announce that they will not be contesting in the coming election? Not that I know of.

Why, even a nonagenarian still thinks the rakyat wants him to represent them. A prime minister and a former cancer patient in his 70’s thinks he is indispensable. Former ministers facing multiple graft charges are also eager to make a comeback. Some known for their alleged peculiar sexual tendencies are also setting their sights on helming Putrajaya.

Oh dear, this is all the more reason why we urgently need a saviour, not a prime minister. God, help us.

We need a saviour – a new leader with a clear vision and commitment to lead us out of the dysfunctional politics plaguing us and the growing divisions among the nation’s communities.

We need a saviour with the initiative to develop and implement new political, economic and social systems and place a low priority on racial and religious supremacy among Malaysians.

We need a saviour who is a unifier of all who live under the Malaysian sun – one that will unite the people justly, fairly, and inclusively.

Malaysia already has seven prime ministers, including one who had served twice. Currently, Muhyiddin is the eighth.

The ninth has to be a “saviour”. - Mkini

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FRANCIS PAUL SIAH is the author of Hijack in Malaysia: The Fall of Pakatan Harapan. Obtain autographed copies from sirsiah@gmail.com.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.