Let’s stop pretending and get real. MCA and MIC are very unhappy and uncomfortable in the unity government and it shows.
Study the body language and observe the demeanour of MIC president SA Vigneswaran and MCA president Wee Ka Siong whenever they talk to the media.
Somehow, one can sense that they are “suffocating” because the situation for them in the government has become almost unbearable.
Why not when the two parties, once senior partners in the BN government for decades, have now been reduced to mere cheerleaders on the sidelines as the state elections loom?
Yes, this is how they have been perceived – cheerleaders and “pom-pom girls” – in the coming polls. How embarrassing; in fact, how humiliating that must be!
Whether you like MCA and MIC or not, don’t blame some of their people for taking potshots at frequent intervals at Pakatan Harapan ministers. It’s an outlet to express their frustrations, rightly or wrongly.
Do not blame leaders and members of the two parties too if they feel that they are somewhat unwanted and not welcomed in the unity government. This means that they are not valued or appreciated by their counterparts.
That MCA and MIC have to sit out the state elections on Aug 12 is one glaring example. There are valuable lessons to learn from this episode.
I have tackled this subject elsewhere recently and commented that MCA and MIC are staring at a very bleak future if their leaders have no quick rejuvenation plans in hand.
When the two BN components announced on July 5 that they would be sitting out the coming six state elections, it did not reflect well for the future of the two parties.
Here, I wish to add that in hindsight, perhaps MCA and MIC should have opted for a free-for-all contest and that the Harapan/BN leadership should have consented to such an arrangement.
Precedent in Sarawak
I’m aware that this is not the norm of doing things within the ruling coalition but there is no harm in deciding on making an exception to the rule if it is in the interests of the coalition.
“Let’s keep the peace in our own house” should be a good reason to think and act out of the box, and then make extraordinary decisions if warranted.
MCA and MIC can insist that they are partners with Harapan in the federal government but that they are on their own at the state level.
We have such a precedent in Sarawak in the past. Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) led by the first president, Leo Moggie, was a BN component at the federal level while it was in the opposition in Sarawak. That was the “abnormal” arrangement but it worked then (from 1983 to 1994) and there is no reason why it should not work now.
There was another “odd” case when two BN partners in Sarawak, SUPP and SNAP, were allowed to field their own candidates in the disputed seat of Padungan in Kuching. This was in the 1983 Sarawak state election.
SUPP won the tussle and up till today, 40 years later, the party could stake a claim for Padungan within the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition, even though DAP now holds the seat.
Even today, Sarawak DAP has declared that it is staying as the opposition in Sarawak although the party is a partner in the unity government.
When the Sarawak election comes along (the next one is due in 2026), DAP will slug it out with SUPP in the Chinese seats and some of the semi-urban constituencies.
If the DAP is allowed to do that, why not let MCA and MIC go all out and contest on their own in the Aug 12 state polls? Make them happy and contented. There are many MCA and MIC members eager to be candidates. Give them a chance to partake in the elections.
Why should Harapan/BN worry about split votes should MCA and MIC contest on their own? They know that the two parties will not be able to garner any significant number of votes, anyway.
In any event, there is less likelihood of straight fights these days. Expect multi-cornered contests in many constituencies.
Sidelined in seat negotiations
Besides the main opposition coalition, Perikatan Nasional (PN), expect other contenders like Muda, PSM, Warisan and some other splinter parties to enter the fray.
By letting MCA and MIC sit out the state elections, we have already heard some rumblings of discontentment and disgruntlement from near and far.
Last Sunday, a very disappointed Vigneswaran revealed that one main reason his party and MCA are skipping the state elections was that they were sidelined in seat negotiations.
He revealed that the formula used, in which incumbent parties get to keep their seats, left few constituencies available for BN to contest.
"Even though they (Umno) said they would give us seats, it was not discussed in negotiations. Because of that, we decided not to contest the state elections," Vigneswaran told reporters at the MIC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
Yesterday, MIC also has to suspend the membership of KR Parthiban for taking the stage at a PN event.
A party source told Malaysiakini that Parthiban has also been sacked as a central working committee member.
Surely, we are aware of why Parthiban, a former Ijok assemblyperson, ran rogue. He is probably keen to contest in the coming polls and with MIC sitting out, he has to find an alternative political vehicle. No one should be surprised if PN fields Parthiban on nomination day.
It is probably true that MCA and MIC were snubbed because Harapan people think that it was really difficult to find suitable seats for their candidates to contest.
However, MCA and MIC will claim that they have enough qualified and credible candidates.
To stop such unpleasant exchanges, why not go for a free-for-all? It makes sense to allow even partners to contest against each other at times.
After all, this is politics – no permanent friends nor enemies. Let us battle it out if we have to. May the best man win! - 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.