One can’t really fault Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu for lauding the merits of his party to party-less Khairy Jamaluddin in a bid to entice the former Umno Youth chief to join forces with Bersatu.
But by crowing that Khairy knows “for a fact that Perikatan Nasional (PN) is the way forward”, Faizal has tripped over into a hyperbolic statement.
Is it a “fact” that PN, of which Bersatu is a component, is the political wave of the future?
What about the corruption charges that have been levied against a slew of prominent PN personages, cases whose outcome will surely affect the standing of PN, specifically Bersatu, in the eyes of voters who helped gain the party 25 seats in the 15th general election (GE15) last November, mostly at the expense of Umno?
Me thinks Faizal much exaggerates.
If he had said PN is the way forward without holding it to be a “fact” that’s widely acknowledged, his opinion would have been within the bounds of reason, and not a hyperbolic, statement.
Given that no coalition gained a simple majority at GE15, which was what pundits had predicted would be the case, it would be a reflection of their maturity that exponents of one or the other coalition would hedge their rhetorical bets when holding forth on issues.
Political discourse in current times when one really cannot be sure about the outcome at the ballot box requires a recognition of the need for nuanced speech.
Just the other day when DAP’s P Ramasamy observed that PAS’s ideology was a hindrance to multi-culturalism and unity among the races, the Islamist party’s secretary-general demurred.
As a basis for his demurral, Takiyuddin Hassan cited the PAS-ruled states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah as places where multi-racialism is practised.
The PAS grandee had forgotten the ruckus caused by Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor in 2021 over his reluctance to allow a state public holiday for the Thaipusam celebration, something the state had been observing for some time prior.
Also, in that period a slew of temple demolitions in Kedah had roiled relations between the authorities and followers of non-Muslim religions.
If Takiyuddin had referred to harmonious relations among the various races in Kelantan during the long chief ministership (1990-2014) of PAS luminary, the late Nik Aziz Nik Mat, he would have displayed a regard for nuanced comparison that he did not in his taking exception to Ramasamy’s remarks.
At least Takiyuddin had some grounds for his unhedged reply to Ramasamy, but his compatriot in PN, Muhyiddin Yassin, had no basis to profess perplexity at Umno’s recent call to Malays to vote for DAP.
DAP stalwarts had no hesitation in reminding him that their party had campaigned for him in his constituency of Pagoh in GE14 in 2018.
Current political realities where former adversaries have turned to cooperation in the interests of forging national unity place a premium on nuanced statements.
Such pronouncements promote more honest and mature discourse, in keeping with the fluid state of support for our competing political coalitions. - FMT
Terence Netto is a senior journalist and an FMT reader.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
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