Dap S Voices Of Reason Subdued In Madani Wilderness

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On March 18, 2018, Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching belted out a parody of the alphabet song in Parliament to mock the goods and services tax (GST).
The lyrics were: “A-B-C-D-GST, Harga semua naik tinggi, Gaji pun tak naik lagi, kena makan Maggi mee.”
(GST came into force on April 1, 2015, and collection stopped when the BN government fell in March 2018.)
Two days later, in Penang, then-chief minister Lim Guan Eng joined residents of flats for a sing-along of the song, drawing condemnation from BN and also drawing the ire of the MCA, which accused him of indoctrinating children with anti-government messages through the anti-GST song.
ADSGuan Eng was not spared a police investigation. The then state police chief, A Thaiveegan, said the probe was being carried out under Section 223(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
DAP chairperson Lim Guan Eng“We have opened an investigation paper following three police reports lodged by political leaders and an NGO.”
These are two episodes that exemplify their stand on issues which affected the people, and articulate their views in prose, in support of the people’s interests.
A year later, then party supremo, Lim Kit Siang, joined the chorus for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to be set up to investigate the judiciary following claims by a Court of Appeal judge of corruption and impropriety.
His party, then propping up the coalition government, quoted then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who stated that an RCI is one of the options open to the government in the face of serious allegations of judicial misconduct.
Kit Siang was responding to an affidavit filed by Court of Appeal judge Hamid Sultan Abu Backer in support of lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo’s suit seeking a declaration that the previous chief justice had failed to uphold judicial integrity and stop judicial interference.
Last bastion
There have been several past instances where DAP raised issues regarding the grievances of the people, and as the voices of reason propagated, they laid claims to be the last bastion of freedom of speech and expression.
They were at the forefront of most such calls on contentious issues, such as death in custody, corruption, meat imports, immigration, and even the judiciary.
Their stance and voices on two major financial scandals - the Port Klang Free Zone and 1MDB - reverberated across the nation as the ruling government attempted to suppress information.
Tony Pua, Kit Siang, Gobind Singh Deo, Steven Sim, and Guan Eng et al stood as the defenders of truth, boldly speaking out for the people, not afraid to lose their liberties. (Pua had his passport confiscated and was not allowed to leave the country.)
But the bells stopped tolling in November 2022, when DAP decided to prop up Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government (later re-branded as the Madani government).
ADSThe vociferous powers of speech of its leaders fell silent. What was expected – voices of reason within the government became stifled.
It signalled the end of an era in which leaders on both sides of the divide stood up against injustice and demanded fair play and equality, even if such calls fell on deaf ears.
Even the discharge not amounting to acquittal verdicts on several politically connected personalities, including Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, went unnoticed in their eyes. However, the defence had been called on 47 charges related to corruption.
DAP’s silence
Other issues prompted discussions in the public domain, which appeared as objections and protests; however, the silence of DAP leaders was then, and still is, deafening.
As if to appease their political “brethren” and comrades, the party’s silence demonstrated that their stance had changed, with their lips sealed.
At the same time, civil society and the public debated the non-extension of the services of then-chief justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, with MP Ramkarpal Singh’s lone voice of dissension reflecting the people’s stance.
DAP MP Ramkarpal SinghHowever, on the date of her lordship’s imminent retirement – July 1 - the party issued a statement, wholeheartedly supporting a tenure extension for the judge.
Like Rip Van Winkle, the leaders woke up from their deep slumber when the party was almost over, as if the ghosts’ voices re-emerged.
They claimed the extension was consistent with the reformist agenda of the Madani government.
On Monday, DAP Youth entered the fray, offering its two cents’ worth, asking the government to address the controversies surrounding judicial appointments transparently, warning that the lack of clarity is eroding public trust.
Really? It seemed like a wayang (show) to demonstrate to the world that they have a say in government policies. Why make a stand after the horses have bolted from the stable? It seemed that the party had lost the spirit and conviction that they previously preached and stood for.
They rarely took a stand on contentious issues in the recent past, and even when they did, their positions often appeared diluted to appease coalition leaders, regardless of how misguided they were.
MCA 2.0
Like DAP, which often accused MCA of being Umno’s running dog, the tables have been turned – the party is now being rightly or wrongly labelled as MCA 2.0!
What if DAP had remained in the opposition? Wouldn’t they have lent their voice and support to the many student groups protesting over the inaction on corruption?
Would Teo have modified her lyrics to oppose the expansion of the sales and services tax?
When one becomes part of the establishment, it does not mean principles, philosophies, and ideologies are thrown out the window. But like its election battle cry, “Ini kali lah” (Now is the time), change must and has taken place, but not for the better.
There is always a price and sacrifice to remain on the straight and narrow path, and that is not certainly “if you can’t beat them, join them”.
However, it will come to rest at a cost, perhaps in two years, when the general election is called. - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who strives to uphold the ethos of civil rights leader John Lewis: “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.” Comments: [email protected]
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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