'Aiya, this country no hope la'

 

“Aiya, this country no hope la,” is something friends have been telling me repeatedly. Yet, amid all the bad news, there is a reason for optimism.

Yes, in just one week, we were hit by a double whammy. First, Pakatan Harapan lost out again to the betrayers of the voters' mandate. Secondly, we got a recycled cabinet of deadwood that looks set for Kerajaan Gagal 2.0.

It doesn’t look good. But please, don’t surrender so easily. Building a new Malaysia takes time. And amidst the ashes of burnt down hopes, some new plants are growing.

1) It’s still a close fight

Despite all the assaults against the opposition, including (allegedly) “durian RM30” and selective prosecution, they still managed to maintain their “fortress” of 105 votes.

Those armchair critics who groan that “all politicians are useless” should ask themselves, can they personally say NO to an offer of RM30 million? Or even RM3 million? But 105 MPs (not all are super-rich mind you) have stood firm against such pressure. This is something worth being proud of.

2) PM9’s failure will be Harapan’s success

Can Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob save us from what defence minister Ismail Sabri did? In other words, can he save us from himself? Everyone has laughed about how the new cabinet looks just like the old one, except that the lamp and vase have switched positions.

His first actions - to visit flood-hit Yan, Kedah with a huge convoy, and to erect a huge billboard with his face at the disaster zone - have been slammed as tone-deaf. If he keeps fumbling this way, his backdoor gang may well lose the next elections.

3) Racial politics discredited

After a toxic hate campaign that the Harapan government had failed to “protect” the Malays because it was a puppet “controlled” by the DAP, came the Sheraton Move.

This led to the most Malay-centric government we’ve had since Merdeka 1957. And how did it “take care” of “their own people”? It created a triple crisis (Covid-19, economic and political) that has hit people of all races, including the Malays themselves.

In the past, Amanah president Mat Sabu used to say in his ceramah that it was not the DAP that had siphoned money from Felda, Mara or Tabung Haji. Rather, it was corrupt Malay leaders. But maybe some found it hard to accept such facts because they were not personally affected.

But now, the Malays can see and feel - for themselves - the suffering caused by those who preach racial politics. The injustice of dua darjat has also made it clear that there are different rules for the powerful, and for ordinary Malays.

So surely, more voters may realise that voting in people based only on slogans of race and religion is hollow? Instead, being competent and fair-minded should be more important.

4) We have come far

Rather than looking only at the last two years, let’s look back at the last 20. Could any of us have imagined back in 2001 that the almighty Barisan Nasional would one day lose power in 2018? Splits and defections among the ruling elite themselves contributed to this.

The tide began turning against Umno and its buddies when the reformasi led by Anwar Ibrahim in 1998 opened the eyes of many Malays to the abuses in the system. And the tide became a torrent with the 1MDB scandal and Rosmah Mansor’s infamous handbags. Who could have imagined that Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself would lead the attack to bring down his old party?

If you think that was a fluke, well, over the past few months, the biggest critic of the backdoor government has been another former prime minister. Yes, Najib Abdul Razak has kept up regular artillery fire (up to six times a day!) from his Facebook cannon against Perikatan Nasional. Heck, at times, he seemed more like the opposition leader than Anwar Ibrahim!

Apart from elite infighting, we have come a long way politically because more and more Malaysians are sick and tired of corruption and abuses of power. And with the score now at 114 - 105, a miracle can happen again at the next elections.

5) Malay unity exposed as a sham

The three main Malay parties claimed to “defend” race and religion from a vague Christian/Chinese “danger”. But instead of practising the “Malay unity” they preached, they have been busy scratching and biting each other.

Umno’s biggest rival for the crucial Malay votes is not the DAP, but Bersatu. Their civil war is not over. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s gang of 15 have not been properly rewarded with cabinet posts despite being key to bringing down Muhyiddin.

To rub salt in the wound, pro-Bersatu Annuar Musa, who was denounced by Zahid as a political “parasite” during the Umno general assembly, has been reappointed as a minister. Another Bersatu-friendly leader, Shahidan Kassim, also got into the cabinet.

On top of all this, Azmin Ali reportedly threatened to bring down the new government if he was not appointed as deputy prime minister. DAP’s Liew Chin Tong has predicted that the next elections will see a “War of the Three Kingdoms” between Harapan, Umno and Ismail Sabri-Bersatu-PAS.

These fireworks may be depressing (or entertaining), but they give the side which wants real reforms a bigger chance of winning.

6) More mature politics

To neutralise all the demands from his own side, the prime minister has been driven to seek some support from Harapan. The Agong himself has asked all politicians to compromise and cooperate more, and for the winners not to “oppress” the losers. This could mean that our politics will become more mature.

Even Ismail Sabri himself may be compelled to change. His controversial racial actions in the past included setting up an all-Malay computer products mall (Low Yat 2) and calls to boycott Chinese shops. But now, he’s talking about everyone working together in a big, happy “Keluarga Malaysia”.

Over two weeks ago, Tony Pua was blasted by keyboard warriors for suggesting that Harapan should discuss Muhyiddin’s offer of political reforms. Now, he looks wise. Luckily, Ismail Sabri’s weak position has given Malaysia a second chance to pass those reforms (such as anti-frog hopping laws and Undi 18).

DAP’s Liew has predicted that compromise and coalition politics will become the norm in future, as no party can dominate as Umno did before. In other words, the game is still on and there is everything to play for.

Conclusion

Building the new Malaysia is like repairing a rundown bungalow. The roof is leaking, the aircon is busted and the lalang is overgrown. Are we just going to give up now, just because we fell over some rotten planks inside?

Creating a better society will take time and persistent effort. We had already taken the first steps in 2018, but then we stumbled. But the fight is still close and the battle can be won if we all do our small part. Even if we lose, at least we can be satisfied that we’ve done what we can.

For starters, stop being “complain kings” who only know how to groan that “aiya, this country no hope la”. And start looking at how we can contribute to that hope. - Mkini

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ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com.

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