Malaysian politics: a tale of U-turns and pragmatism

 

Finally, after a few days of intense horse-trading, backroom deals, grandstanding, and public apologies, we have a prime minister.

For years, our newly minted PM has argued that he has had the requisite support to form a government. And, to be frank, he has come close a few times, only to be thwarted by the same type of backroom horse-trading that happened this time.

His staunch supporters would argue that our new prime minister was unfairly persecuted and locked up in prison, because of his ambitions.

Let’s all hope, for the sake of the country, his government is given a full five-year term till 2028, to make good on his promises.

Anwar Ibrahim has 24-years’ worth of pledges in his pocket, from the genesis of the ‘reformasi’ movement. Isn’t it incumbent on everyone to at least give the man the necessary time to sort himself and this muddled government out?

Our PM10’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition secured 37.5% of the popular vote, the highest by any coalition. By virtue of this, and rightfully so, under the present archaic ‘First Past The Post’ electoral system, he should be given the first crack at leading Malaysia.

But we need to recognise that the majority of voters in Malaysia chose other coalitions. While PH came in first, not far behind, at 30% of the popular vote, is Perikatan Nasional (PN), the seemingly ultra-nationalistic and religious pact.

And, who would have guessed that the erstwhile dominant coalition of Barisan Nasional (BN) would only come out in third place, with 22% of the popular vote.

Now, after the aforementioned horse-trading, a ‘unity’ government has been formed.

How long it will last is anyone’s guess. I am hopeful, but not completely convinced that our PM10 has the luxury of time, though.

Undoubtedly, he is in a precarious position with this motley crew of strange bedfellows. And, if history teaches us anything about Malaysian politicians, it’s that no one can really be trusted.

But I reckon we all should come to terms with the new political landscape in Malaysia.

We need to acknowledge that the citizenry is deeply polarised. There is a clear urban-hinterland divide. Next, people clearly voted along racial and religious lines. And, newly eligible 18-year-olds, whom PH, the erudite and more liberal coalition thought would be with them, were absolutely not.

This has led to, and it will continue to remain, the reality of Malaysian politics in the near future. Gone are the days when BN governments of old would be given an easy two-thirds majority in parliament. They tended to rule unchecked in any way they saw fit.

Absolute power seems to be obsolete.

I say this is a good thing. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. We saw this with Najib Razak and some of his predecessors. And, the allegations of impropriety have already surfaced about Muhyddin Yassin’s 17-months in the driver’s seat when he suspended parliament during the pandemic.

Anytime, us voters give too much power to a coalition, party, or leader, something strange seems to happen to them. They lose their internal moral and ethical barometer, and start behaving like Malaysia is their own fiefdom.

While Anwar, has assumed office under tense and precarious circumstances, I think it augurs well for Malaysia that he will have to taper his natural tendencies as a politician, and instead focus on unifying a polarised nation.

Because it is a unity government that is glued together by goodwill (and obviously some backroom deals), he cannot rule unchecked or ‘bermaharajalela’ like former prime ministers.

This, regardless of the anxiety it has caused ordinary folks, ultimately, is a victory for Malaysian citizens. We cannot have leaders who are given carte-blanche freedom to do whatever they please. We cannot afford another Mahathir Mohamad or Najib.

Malaysia needs our leaders to be measured, considered and have the interests of the diverse people of our nation in mind, when making decisions. Because he only secured 37.5% of the popular vote, Anwar has to be very measured with every move.

Those who voted for his coalition, should not shoot themselves in the foot and demand all sorts of things right away. They need to see the bigger picture, think strategically, and work towards the betterment of Malaysia, and all Malaysians.

One thing is for sure. Our PM10 has his work cut out. He inherits a deeply polarised nation with dodgy finances, a wonky education system, and a somewhat inefficient administration.

And to top this off, expectations run really high for our PM. Let’s be honest, since Mahathir, we have set the bar pretty low on who becomes our prime minister.

Now, we finally have a PM who is erudite, world recognised, and speaks with passion and style, in both Bahasa Malaysia and English. He peppers his speeches with relevant religious verses to include the majority race, and throws in a lot of humour and inclusiveness to not alienate the rest.

So, everyone expects him to perform miracles from day one. This is not possible, people. This is the aftermath of a hung parliament, which is what the people of our nation voted for.

Malaysians who voted for PH must recognise that the prime minister will need to be measured in his actions. Malaysians who voted for other coalitions, and they outnumber those who voted for PH, need to be appeased, and made to feel like PM10 is not a threat to them.

I feel relief and trepidation in equal measure. I expected a hung parliament. And now, the deep-seated polarisation is clear so I’m weary of horse-trading politicians. It’s a bumpy road ahead.

For us ordinary folks, it’s best to remember that Malaysian politics, at least for now, is all about U-turns and pragmatism. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.