Pejuang and Muda, don't beg

 

So, Perikatan Nasional (PN) has snubbed Pejuang. The opposition coalition is not interested in admitting Mukhriz Mahathir’s party as a member.

On the other side, Pakatan Harapan has been publicly accused of showing no respect for Muda, not once but twice.

According to the “youngest kid” on the block, Muda was not invited to the unity government council meeting… twice. Muda leaders are fuming.

In early March, Mukhriz announced that his party had applied to join PN, explaining that it was only logical for opposition parties to form electoral pacts to avoid seat clashes.

The former Kedah menteri besar also said joining PN would prevent a split in Malay votes in the coming elections in six states.

Two weeks later, it was clear that PN was not impressed with Mukhriz’s statements nor interested in working with Pejuang.

PN secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin said the coalition’s supreme council had decided to reject Pejuang’s application to become a component party.

He did not give a reason but PAS deputy present Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man later revealed that PN rejected Pejuang’s application because it did not want to complicate seat allocations for the state polls.

Following PN’s snub, Pejuang secretary-general Amiruddin Hamzah said his party was disheartened by PN’s decision, adding “we are dismayed that our goal to ensure Malay votes are not split is not appreciated by PN.”

I think there is something which Amiruddin and his colleagues in Pejuang must learn to accept. To PN, Pejuang is probably irrelevant and of little or no use to the coalition, at least for the coming state elections.

For a party which lost every single seat it contested in last November’s general election, I doubt Pejuang has anything to offer PN or any other groups at this point in time.

Worse, all its candidates, including the father-son combo of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Mukhriz, also lost their deposits.

If I were a leader in PN, I would also not waste my time dealing with a non-entity like Pejuang.

Face reality, Mukhriz

Mahathir’s exit from Pejuang to join Putra could effectively seal Pejuang’s fate as it was the nonagenarian who had held the party together since its formation in 2020.

Mukhriz has yet to prove himself as a national leader of calibre, having spent all his years in politics in his father’s shadow.

I would suggest that Pejuang forgets about contesting the state elections and concentrate on revitalising itself to face the next general election.

Even Mukhriz should forget about vying for a seat in Kedah. He will not make it under Pejuang. I hope he would not go begging for a seat to contest under the PN banner.

Please don’t beg, Mukhriz and Pejuang. Keep some semblance of integrity and self-respect.

Stand back, Syed Saddiq

As for Muda, I don’t understand why it should get so desperate and can’t wait to be a member of Harapan.

Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is virtually begging to be admitted, assuring Harapan that Muda leaders are not looking for government positions.

On March 20, Muda called on Harapan to end their months-long wait for an answer on whether the party can join the coalition.

The desperado Syed Saddiq appealed: “We have already sent three letters on the matter but had not received any reply.

“We stood by our principles and we are loyal. We stood by Anwar Ibrahim prior to the election, during and after the polls - and until today.

“We are not expecting posts - if we talk about positions. But it’s about being able to be part of the decision-making in policies and deciding the future of our beloved country.”

Seriously, young man? If Muda is not interested in positions, then what is the point of forming a political party and venturing into politics? Please get real and be more convincing.

Syed Saddiq strikes me as a brilliant and solid all-rounder at times but then, there are occasions when I think he is also naïve and childish.

I’m just not sure whether he is ready to lead a political party at the national level yet. But he will be a definite asset to any political organisation further down the road.

Bigger youth movements

Harapan must have valid reasons not to entertain Muda’s request to be a full-fledged member of the coalition.

It’s just too “small” and “new” to give added value to Harapan, let alone to make an impact in the coalition.

Also, Muda’s membership base is not big nor wide enough to take over the role of the existing Youth sections of the Harapan parties.

These youth movements are well-established entities - certainly much bigger and stronger than the two-year-old Muda.

Nobody will believe that Muda is bigger than DAP Youth, PKR Youth or Umno Youth.

This is something which has been made known to the Muda leadership before GE15 and they should accept it as such and stop begging to be admitted.

Why, Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) could also apply for membership in Harapan, but will Harapan accept the party? Not now, I think.

Like Pejuang, Muda leaders and members must eat humble pie and learn to swallow their pride. At this stage of the game, they are not considered to be of added value to the two main coalitions.

Seriously, if they remain impatient and continue to act in desperation, I would call them “parasitic irritants”. Why keep knocking on closed doors?

Respected political leaders know about integrity, credibility and self-esteem. Only those from mosquito parties stoop to the level of annoying “beggars”! - Mkini

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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.