The day after GE15, what comes next

 

The outcome of these elections leaves many of us confused, weak, and dispirited.

Many heavyweights lost their seats. Dr Mahathir Mohamad lost his deposit! His son Mukhriz, PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar, veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, outgoing health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, outgoing finance minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, and outgoing senior minister Azmin Ali all lost. No common thread here.

Pejuang as a party fared very badly. Umno as a party also fared badly. While Pakatan Harapan notched the largest number of seats at 82, a number of leaders actually lost - former ministers Mujahid Yusof Rawa and Khalid Samad, apart from Nurul Izzah, and others. 

PAS won the most seats at 49. Does this mean a movement towards a more conservative Malaysia? That more Malays are attracted to PAS’ idea of Hudud law and an Islamic state?

Perhaps not. I suspect corruption was a big issue. And that issue was tied up with the cost of living. Corruption was played up by Bersatu, PAS, Mahathir, Muhyiddin, and by Harapan.

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the president of Umno, was facing multiple charges. There was the prospect of him becoming prime minister or controlling the prime minister.

As president, he axed or dropped his critics or adversaries within the party, as candidates for GE15. They were disgruntled and some lost the will to fight for the party, some crossed over, and some actively subverted the party.

Given the poor results of BN, Zahid may not survive the inevitable soul-searching within Umno. Even he won his Bagan Datuk seat by the narrowest of margins.

The Malays looked for an alternative party and many found it in PAS. It became for many the alternative to Umno. Harappan was not an option for many partly because it was not Malay-only and partly because of its affiliation with DAP, perceived widely by the Malays to be a Chinese party.

Perikatan Nasional (PN) is a Malay-majority coalition headed by a former prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, and PAS, as an Islamic party, is a member of the PN coalition.

It is however disappointing that the man who spoke of Christian and Jewish conspiracies could now become our next prime minister. And the man who would relegate non-Muslims to a subordinate role in government could well become a deputy prime minister.

Will they now tone down their hostile rhetoric and adopt more inclusive policies?

The next few days or weeks will be tension-filled as leaders of BN, PN, Harapan, and GPS struggle to find coalition partners.

What the King could do

Constitutional expert Shad Saleem Faruqi was interviewed on Astro Awani this morning. He said the discretion to appoint the prime minister was with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

He would appoint the person who in his opinion enjoyed the confidence of the majority in Parliament.

He could ask Harapan, as the coalition with the largest number of seats, to form the government and to demonstrate they have majority support. This they could do by forming a pact with another coalition.

Alternatively, Shad said PN could also go to the King with agreements with other coalitions. The King then could exercise his discretion and choose one over another.

Shad did suggest another possibility. That Harapan could enter an agreement with another coalition in which they agree not to move a motion of confidence against them and to support their agenda for Parliament.

Is there a possibility of Harapan reaching such an agreement with either GPS or BN? That would require old grievances to be forgiven and forgotten. But would PN to the punch?

Muhyiddin has rejected the possibility of a coalition with BN. So that leaves only GPS. Will the man who spoke of Jewish and Christian conspiracies and whose party is in coalition with PAS, the proponents of an Islamic state, be able to reach agreements with a state having a substantial Christian population?

These are going to be challenging times!

In the meantime, we will observe with some sadness the fading voices of Mahathir and Razaleigh. Both lost the opportunity of aligning themselves on the right side of truth and justice.

Mahathir could have supported Harapan as an advisor or something, giving up his desire to be prime minister at the age of 97. In that way, he might have salvaged something of his once significant reputation.

Hopefully, he accepts the decision of the electorate and settles down to write the final chapter of his memoirs.

This is it for Anwar

Pakatan Harapan chairperson Anwar Ibrahim made a valiant bid, perhaps his last attempt at becoming prime minister, and now has come painfully close to filling the top job in the nation. There is still a slight chance of that happening in the next few days or weeks.

Anwar has faced many trials and challenges over the last 20 years. And to a large extent, the entire nation also endured the stresses and strains of his struggle.

We have seen the strength, dignity, and maturity of his wife and daughter as they fought so courageously for justice for Anwar and his freedom. And in the end succeeded in freeing him by forming the grandest political coalition this nation has ever seen, which won GE14.

Alas, that coalition did not last very long.

We are now on the verge of forming another government that will not be led by Umno.

Will whoever heads this new government stand for integrity and good governance? Will their vision for the future of this country reflect the principles enshrined in the Constitution?

Will equality, freedom of worship, the rule of law, justice, truth, and the dignity of the individual be governing principles for the nation?

We can only hope and pray! - Mkini

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DAVID DASS is a lawyer, Malaysiakini subscriber and commentator.

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