Backstabbing Drama In The Opposition – PAS Sabotaging Bersatu By Attacking Chinese Vernacular Schools

 Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim appears to have chicken out from Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election. Now, Selangor Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) Amirudin Shari is the poster boy after Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil hinted that Anwar would not be present during the campaign for the largest constituency in the state of Selangor that will see a four-cornered contest.

 

The strategy for the increasing unpopular premier was simple – if he hides and does not campaign, he can’t be blamed if the seat is lost. On the other hand, he can claim credit if Pakatan Harapan wins, allowing him to brag that the victory was proof of people’s support for his Madani government. It would be a spectacular humiliation if he personally leads the battle and lost, would he not?

 

That’s a waste because no one in Malaysia could dance to the late Tamil cinema superstar MG Ramachandran as dazzling as Mr Anwar. It’s public knowledge why the premier dares not go down to the ground to charm the Indian community this time. Ever since he became the 10th Prime Minister, Anwar has dumped the “marginalised” Indians like a soiled diaper, at least that was the perception.

The ethnic breakdown of Kuala Kubu Baharu’s electorate comprised 46% Malay, 30% Chinese and 18% Indian. With both Chinese and Indian voters eager to punish the ungrateful Anwar for treating the minorities the same way they had been discriminated under the previous governments, it would not be a smooth sailing for Pakatan Harapan-DAP candidate Pang Sock Tao.

 

Playing safe, PM Anwar still remembers how former PM Mahathir led the ruling Pakatan Harapan alliance to a deadly defeat in the Tanjung Piai by-election in 2019, where they lost by more than 15,000-vote majority. The worst by-election defeat for Pakatan since it won the federal government in the May 2018 General Election saw defection and betrayal which led to the collapse of Mahathir government.

 

Even though Tanjung Piai ethnic breakdown – 58% Malay, 40% Chinese and 1% Indian – is different from Kuala Kubu Baharu, the prime minister isn’t taking any chances. The Indian believes Anwar has neglected them, whilst the Chinese believe the PM was spending too much time promoting Hamas and appeasing Malay extremists that he was too chicken to even condemn firebombing of Chinese businesses.

That explains why Santa Claus Anwar dropped a bombshell – increasing civil servants’ salaries by more than 13%, the highest in Malaysia’s history. Essentially, the windfall will benefit some 1.2 million civil servants in the country, 90% of whom are Malays or Bumiputeras. But it will also cost the government some RM10 billion annually at a time when Anwar-led unity government inherited RM1.5 trillion national debts.

 

It was indeed embarrassing that despite splashing RM10 billion to buy Malay votes, he still lacks confidence of defending Kuala Kubu Baharu. There are basically two main factors why Kuala Kubu Baharu would not suffer the same defeat seen in Tanjung Piai. First factor – MCA, component party of Barisan Nasional, which is a governing partner of the unity government, is shooting its own foot.

 

The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), commanding a pathetic 5% support from the community that it claims to represent, has been vigorously attacking bitter enemy DAP that even the blind could see the party was actually helping opposition Perikatan Nasional. Behind the scene, despicable MCA tells all its members and hardcore supporters to vote for Bersatu candidate in the upcoming by-election.

The childish whining, moaning and bitching about rival DAP would backfire as the vocal MCA brings back the sweet memory of how the Chinese traitors – together with Bersatu Muhyiddin Yassin, ex-PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, UMNO and PAS Islamist party – stole the democratically-elected Pakatan Harapan government in the infamous “Sheraton Move” political coup in 2020.

 

MCA’s betrayal continued into the second season after the November 2022 General Election which produced a hung parliament. MCA president Wee Ka Siong was among the first who scrambled to sign the statutory declaration (SD) to support rival Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin as prime minister. Had “anti-hopping law” not existed, traitor Wee would have shamelessly jumped to join the enemy.

 

Second factor – Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS – Parti Islam Se-Malaysia), the biggest party in the country and the big boss in Perikatan, is shooting Bersatu’s foot. Make no mistake. The bad blood between both partners in the opposition is an open secret ever since Muhyiddin arrogantly rejected a “Unity Government” proposed by former King Sultan Abdullah after the 15th national polls.

The Islamist party, having tasted blood in the backdoor government of Muhyiddin and “turtle egg” Ismail Sabri, can’t wait to return to government. That explains why PAS shamelessly insists every now and then that the national cooperation between UMNO and PAS, glorified as “Muafakat Nasional” under the pretext of Malay-unity, is still alive and kicking even though UMNO gets sick and tired of rubbishing it.

 

There’s a reason why UMNO veteran Tengku Razaleigh called PAS a prostitute. For the sake of power, PAS can sleep with anyone, including the so-called DAP “chauvinist”. Likewise, the reason why PAS chose Bersatu over UMNO, which led to the embracing of Perikatan Nasional over Muafakat Nasional, was due to power and not because Muhyiddin was better looking than Hadi Awang.

 

As Bersatu plunges into uncertainties and chaos, with defections of lawmakers hungry for funding and the party split into at least three factions (Hamzah Zainudin, Faizal Azumu and Azmin Ali) in leadership tussles, PAS leadership has a second thought about the prime ministership trophy. Why should the Islamist party play “second fiddle” when it is now the biggest political party in the country?

Yes, power-hungry PAS believes it is time to govern on its own. By introducing professionals like Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, the Chief Minister of Terengganu is being groomed as the next prime minister, joining the crowded contest for the Iron Throne. Panicked, Bersatu amended its constitution to prevent a total collapse after six Bersatu MPs declared support for PM Anwar.

 

It makes sense that the Islamist party should lead instead of following Muhyiddin disastrous leadership. After all, it was PAS’ grassroots and machinery that Bersatu or Malaysian United Indigenous Party depended on to win 31 parliamentary seats. Egoistic Muhyiddin was also being blamed for “refusing” to negotiate for allocations for opposition lawmakers – a huge “financial issue” for PAS’ enlarged MPs of 43.

 

The game-plan changes in PAS mean Bersatu can no longer trust its partner. It’s a matter of time before the Islamist party dumps the Malay nationalist party like a soiled diaper. With its beautiful track record of betraying allies and forming new alliances with different parties who can help it tastes power, it won’t be a surprise if PAS has already started negotiating with PM Anwar about joining the unity government.

Even though PAS has denied that the Islamist party is boycotting the Bersatu candidate contesting in the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election, the absence of PAS leaders was visible not only on nomination day, but also during “Perikatan Nasional ceramah (campaign speech)”. Heck, PAS could not even spare its secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan to help its partner.

 

While ex-PM Muhyiddin and Azmin were left struggling on the ground, all PAS senior leaders were busy enjoying Hari Raya open house in other states. It was done deliberately to send a message to Muhyiddin that without PAS’ machinery, Bersatu can close shop. But boycotting was just an appetizer. It appears that PAS is also sabotaging Bersatu by attacking Chinese vernacular schools.

 

After Bersatu candidate Khairul Azhari was exposed by netizens on social media about his dubious executive master’s from the University Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) obtained with only a diploma, which was suspiciously awarded in 2019 during Covid-19 pandemic, PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari challenged DAP’s Pang Sock Tao to reveal her SPM and UPSR results

But when Ms Pang shared her excellent academic – 5As in all subjects in UPSR and 10As in SPM – the PAS racist and extremist mocked and insulted her vernacular school – SJK (C) On Pong Hulu Langat and SM Chung Hua Port Dickson – before stirring up racial and religion sentiments among the Malays that the Pakatan Harapan candidate had studied in “Chinese schools”.

 

The PAS junior leader might be a moron, but he knew education is extremely important to the Chinese community, yet he is attacking the vernacular school. None of Bersatu leaders dare to play such issue for fear of retaliation and for strategic reason. The Islamist party was adding fuel to the fire – uniting the Chinese voters instead of splitting them at a time when some were frustrated and disillusioned with PM Anwar.

 

It was not a coincidence that the PAS information chief attacked Chinese school rather than raising bread-and-butter issue. It was designed to trap Bersatu so that it would lose the by-election. There are 5 SJKC Chinese schools and 2 SJKT Tamil schools in Kuala Kubu Baharu. An attack on vernacular school is an attack on all Chinese and Tamil schools.

Panicked, Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu begged fellow Perikatan Nasional candidates, leaders and all election machinery to stop weaponise the highly sensitive schools. But the damage is done. Thanks to PAS, minorities Chinese and Indian are being spooked by the prospect of shutting down of vernacular schools if Perikatan Nasional is allowed to walk the corridors of power. - financetwitter

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