Necessary Criticism Of Anwar Is Patriotic

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There is a movement gaining traction that urges us not to criticise Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim because that would weaken him and cause his fragile Madani coalition to collapse, if not now then at the polls, and the alternative catastrophe to come into power.
Many commentators, myself included, don’t believe it, not because we want to see him fall - many of us don't - but to point out that if he does not match words with deeds and stop sidelining his own party and immediate coalition partners, he will be in trouble.
There are two crucial parts to this, both so important that one cannot be excluded from the other - they need to move together, hand in hand and overcome adversity as one to avoid non-fulfilment of the rakyat’s wishes and eventual loss at the polls.
The first is to recognise and accept what the 2022 polls indicated. The second is to do what benefits everyone now.
ADSRecognise Umno rejection
In the 2022 general election, the rakyat rejected Umno and its corrupt, self-serving ways, giving Umno its most severe defeat ever - just 26 seats, less than half 2018’s 54, which was already a plunge from 2013’s 88. That is a relentless, non-stop decline over a decade.
Instead, the rakyat gave the thumbs up for a re-emergent PAS in 2022 within the Perikatan Nasional coalition, with PAS emerging as the single largest party with 45 seats. Anwar needs to be concerned with this now and have a solid plan for change.
Yes, PKR suffered as well, but the Pakatan Harapan coalition held some of its power, winning 82 seats to edge out Perikatan Nasional at 74 seats to become the largest single holder of parliamentary seats in November 2022.
But BN was far behind at 30 seats. Two parties within Harapan had more seats than Umno/BN - DAP with 40 seats and PKR with 31. PKR suffered a sharp decline from 47 previously, something Anwar needs to think about and act on.
In short, both Umno and PKR lost Malay votes in a big way, while the undisputed winner here was Pas. Why? Because the alternatives - PKR and Umno - looked weak.
There are many theories, but the reality and solutions are likely to be complex.
Anwar must realise and recognise that Umno was the party most soundly rejected by the Malays and act accordingly. Instead, he is unhealthily embracing Umno with gusto and is in danger of catching its disease of ignorance and denial in the face of facts.
There is this beneficial relationship with DAP, which garners non-Malay votes, but at the same time results in lesser Malay support - a double-edged sword.
This followed DAP’s performance at the finance portfolio post 2018, which was seen as unsympathetic to Malay aspirations, raising yet again the spectre of the DAP bogeyman among Malays.
But tying its tethers to Umno will likely prove a double whammy for Harapan, losing strong non-Malay support and further alienating Malays who have for the past three elections rejected a highly corrupt Umno whose top leadership wants a corrupt leader to be pardoned.
If Anwar continues with this unsavoury alliance with Umno to the near total eclipse of all universal programmes for economic change which benefit all, he will pay the price for not making significant real change, his corruption battle being a case in point. Umno needs to be kept at arm’s length.
ADSPandering to the whims of a declining, decadent Umno, which now has no power in the Malay states where they were whitewashed in the last polls, will be the wrong panacea for regaining Malay votes. What is needed is a nuanced, inclusive approach which produces results, not rhetoric.
No real change
What real change has Anwar brought? Has he at least set the stage for strategic change? Suffice to say that I don’t think that the majority of the population feels he has done much to change the country for the better - a bad place to be in.
Making whirlwind tours around the world and positioning himself as a world statesman of standing within a year or two of leading a nation is not the way to go. Better to stay home and sort out the countless problems and thereby earn his stripes for recognition.
Education needs to be fixed, the economy needs firm measures, the budget has to be sorted out (not even enough courage to impose goods and service tax or rationalise subsidies), the right kind of investments needs to be attracted, and much more needs to be done.
It’s time for buckling down - not gallivanting - and fixing things. The government is not doing this. Let’s tone down the racial rhetoric. Many things can be done for the benefit of all without breaking them down into bumiputera or non-bumiputera and Malay or non-Malay.
We were looking to Anwar to close this gap. His “semua anak saya” (all are my children) inclusive slogan looks so hollow now. And sounds so far away. There is no reason he should not try, especially when there’s so much to gain politically.
Remember, no one wants corruption, and everyone wants prosperity - those are the universal values. Work relentlessly to achieve them or at least set the foundations for the future.
Bring back multiracialism
The only way that he can make himself politically relevant again and restore public support for himself, PKR and Harapan, is to restore a multiracial coalition to lead us out of this morass, benefiting all and sundry in the true spirit of Malaysia and being Malaysian.
Hooking up to the Umno bandwagon is hardly likely to help because the solution calls for vision and inclusion of all in the change process, not an Umno-like blinkered adhesion to a racist orientation well past its time - and very unMalaysian.
That’s the reason why some of us criticise Anwar - to change, not to step down. Stepping down will occur naturally via polls, and that depends on the people, who are what politicians, including Anwar, must think about satisfying if they want to stay in power.
Necessary criticism of Anwar is a patriotic duty. - Mkini
P GUNASEGARAM says flying a flag - whether the wrong way or the right - is no indication of patriotism - or the lack of it. Doing good for the country and the rakyat is. Merdeka!
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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