YOURSAY | Don't be so quick to complain, criticise new govt

 YOURSAY | ’This administration needs time and room to breathe.’

COMMENT | Whining our way through the battle for Malaysia’s soul

Mazilamani: This put-together government may not necessarily be the best. Still, it is the best we can expect to have. So long as PKR, DAP, and BN can stay together and support each other, they may be able to complete a full term with good results. If they can complete the term with tangible results, the rakyat will surely give their support for the next term.

Unity amongst the partners is very important for we have a wily fox mooching around picking up every distressful scent and ready to scatter the chickens. So long the partners can realise that they must be defensive of each other and stay united, it will give strength to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to dare ahead with the reforms.

Any sign of discontentment will only divert the prime minister to focus on mending works, neglecting nation-building and governing works. Probably this was what happened during the 22 months of Pakatan Harapan rule. The partners have gathered at the call of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah for national duty, so attend to your given functions diligently and responsibly.

The enemy is laying in wait for the right time to intrude, so don't let down your defence. The prime minister on his own can only achieve so much, his performance will only heighten with the undivided and loyal support of his partners.

Man on the Silver Mountain: I agree that politics and power are about a battle for Malaysia’s soul. Most Malaysians, me included, are knee-jerk, short-sighted clueless political idiots. Can’t blame us. We are unhappy with how this country has gone to the dogs due to abusive and corrupt politicians.

There was no end in sight to change its course and direction. We are quick to complain and criticise. That’s ok, except it can backfire without understanding the political reality. Harapan 1.0 failed because of this. To win the nation’s soul is more complicated than what we want the process to be. It is not so much the ‘Game of Thrones’ but more of ‘Rome’, the HBO Original Series if you have watched it.

In ‘Rome’, Julius Caesar could have marched to Rome with his 13th Legion, killed his competitor Pompey and installed himself as the emperor. Only he did not. He had to win the heart of Italy. It was similar with Pompey, who is a good politician. He lost in the end because his allies in the Senate were too impatient and attacked Caesar’s army in a battle in Greece.

There was a similar story in the Bible. My Christian friend, a great admirer of King David, whom he said had the heart of God. David indeed did not kill King Saul, his political enemy, even though he could have when he entered Saul’s camp while the latter was sleeping. Being polite, I did not tell him that David was an astute politician.

He achieved greater political gain by keeping Saul alive, who after all was not a threat to him since his army was defeated by David. More importantly, by sparing Saul, he is seen as a righteous man of God and thus, accepted by the people as king of Israel. Anwar’s action looks similar.

He needs to get the support of the people. For that, he has to be in power. He needs to have his enemies compromised and support him. Umno and Sarawak’s GPS are critical to achieving that, but there is a price for their support. It, however, is not the most important thing for him. Power is.

Anwar is the only hope for us, as Malaysiakini’s associate editor Martin Vengadesan rightly said. He stands for multi-racialism and slowly going into a need-based policy, a big revolution to change the psyche of the traditional Malays. So, if we want to criticise Anwar, think of the bigger picture.

David Dass: It was not the whining that brought the Harapan government down, it was the betrayal of the worst sort. Yes, there were mistakes made, but good things were done. Governments cannot be thin-skinned and criticism must be expected. The anxiety now is the uncertainty of things. Will the new government survive? Are there enough Malays who want moderation? Can the government help the poor cope with the cost of living? Can businesses survive?

GreenCheetah0027: Many Malaysiakini readers live a better part of their lives believing that Anwar is the god-send saviour of Malaysia. To them, it is already like a "religion" of some sort. You can read from the way many readers put him on a pedestal and how they believe that the past few general elections were all about making Anwar the prime minister; and not about putting together a government that looks after the rakyat and country.

Many believe that once he becomes prime minister, he only needs to wave his hands and all the ills of Malaysia will be cured, and we will all be living in paradise. Well, the party's over, and the hangover is setting in. The morning-after is long gone. So, are we all in "paradise" now? This is a wake-up call for all those who worship Anwar. He is a human like all of us; so, treat him like one. If he doesn't perform, go look for others to lead. We have over 30 million Malaysians, surely there are good leaders among us.

Karnak: It has not even been a month since the 15th general election was held. The mistake we make as a voting public, as armchair critics and as the audience at this mortal combat, is that we expect changes to happen fast like a Netflix miniseries and not the dragged-out twists and turns of a Korean drama.

Time to get on with our lives and take stock every quarter. This administration needs time and room to breathe. - MMKtT.