At the onset, here’s a pertinent point to note for the new “unity government” and all politicians in general: No more backbiting, no more squandering, no more idle gossip, no more maligning; just walk the talk!
The polls are over and Anwar Ibrahim is now prime minister. Live with it.
The people do not need to be further choked by inapt TV chatter and social media talk about what’s right or amiss at the 15th general election (GE15). Let’s just move on.
Following a photo finish at the end of a weary neck-to-neck race between the Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalitions, the long-time opposition leader was given the royal nod to helm the country over the next five years.
He was named not necessarily because of his reformist style but because the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and his brother rulers felt Anwar could forge a “unity government” through mutual trust and goodwill to help Malaysia find its way back to being a harmonious and globally well-respected nation.
Voters knew what they wanted
Looking back at GE15, one cannot blame the voters for the stretched stalemate without a government after the polls.
The voters were clear and consistent about who they wanted when they cast their ballot papers.
The electorate had heard the respective political alliances pitching their ideas of a Malaysia that’s politically stable, graft-free, progressive, harmonious, and globally respected.
The main national blocs - Harapan, PN, and BN - as well as the regional blocs in Sarawak and Sabah and the newbie alliance Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) - had all seemed to look into the right priorities.
The strategic directions and ways forward were well-articulated by their leaders, who campaigned for a more meritocratic system in education, business, low-cost housing, and welfare aid for the masses.
So, the voters actually had a clear vision of what their prospective leaders would give once they take control of Putrajaya.
The politicians tell the voters: “Timing is everything in life. So, don’t hesitate to draw your ‘X’ for the party your preferred candidate represents.”
It all looked so clear and compelling and it would have been a simple acquisition of just 112 seats in the Dewan Rakyat by any party or coalition to earn the right to form the federal government.
But just when the voters felt the odds were stacked in their favour, it turned out to be the least expected result: a hung Parliament!
Of the 222 seats in the House - including two seats where the candidates unexpectedly died - the Harapan coalition was victorious in winning 82, followed by PN (73), BN (30), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) (23), and Gerakan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) (6). The rest of the winning seats went to smaller parties and independents.
What followed was five days of persistent horse-trading by the main contenders to gain the favour of the other parties to form the central government together.
The impasse drew the intervention of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who wanted the blocs to convince the palace - by a given deadline - that they have the numbers to put together the new administration.
This led to a special meeting on Nov 24 between the king and his brother rulers to recognise Anwar, the PKR president, as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister.
The post-GE14 political chaos
Anwar succeeds Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who had headed a hybrid cluster of parties with different political ideologies - collectively referred to as Keluarga Malaysia - at the end of a shortened parliamentary term that saw three prime ministers taking over one after another following the 14th general election in May 2018.
Ismail Sabri’s predecessor was PN chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin, who took charge of the federal government after the first Harapan regime - led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his deputy premier Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail - ended its premature stint; just 22 months after toppling the mighty BN.
Muhyiddin, through the Bersatu that he co-founded with Mahathir, took over the federal reins at a time when the dastardly Covid-19 first reared its ugly head, leading to a nationwide health alert and economic slowdown.
This followed a period of sinister defections and internal bickering that led Muhyiddin to pull out Bersatu from the Harapan alliance, and Mahathir abruptly stepped down as the coalition leader and prime minister.
In the ensuing hysteria, the king stepped in to resolve the power vacuum by getting a consensus from among the serving members of Parliament of the person they trust to take over the premier slot. The choice landed on Muhyiddin.
But in less than two years and just when the economy was perking up again and Covid-19 repressed, it was Umno now which chose to opt out of the ruling coalition as it could not take the strain of allegedly playing second-fiddle to Bersatu in the PN-led government.
However, not every Umno person left the fold. Ismail Sabri, who had been appointed deputy prime minister to Muhyiddin as well as several BN members serving in ministerial posts, chose to remain behind to help the government of the day.
Nevertheless, the withdrawal of Umno from PN led to Muhyiddin losing his parliamentary majority and prompted him to resign as prime minister.
The politicking didn’t stop and Ismail Sabri, after sitting in the prime minister’s chair for 14 months, sought and obtained royal assent from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament; nine months earlier than its scheduled expiry date.
The baton has now passed to Anwar and the nation waits for his unity cabinet to start work.
No matter how hard-fought they may be; no matter how close the election had turned out to be, the salient question now is: will those who didn’t make it accept the verdict and support Anwar’s unity government? - Mkini
FRANCIS PAUL SIAH is a veteran Sarawak editor and heads the Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS). He can be reached at sirsiah@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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