Should Dap Leaves The Government

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After fighting for and dreaming of a place at the table for years, DAP is now discovering that being part of the government, at least part of a Dr Mahathir Mohamad-led government, can be a bittersweet affair. With frustration growing among its grassroots supporters and consensus breaking down within the party’s top leadership, pulling out of the government is no longer as unthinkable as it might have been 19 months ago.

Before GE14, Mahathir was, of course, more than happy to be seen with DAP leaders, enjoying their enthusiastic support, and praising them for their contribution to the nation. He even went so far as to admit that he was wrong to demonise DAP and expressed admiration for the way they upheld the national language in their meetings. Without a doubt, he would not be where he is today without DAP’s support.

Back in power, however, his enthusiasm for them has waned. Suddenly, they have become a liability, a stumbling block to gaining wider Malay support, a competitor to be outmanoeuvred and brought into submission. In the face of blatantly racist attacks against them, including from within his own party, Mahathir has done nothing to defend them.

Not only has Mahathir frustrated the whole reform process that is critical to the DAP base, he has given them no face, no meaningful concessions, nothing to assuage their increasingly restless supporters. He seems entirely unconcerned that DAP, more than any other Pakatan Harapan party, is vulnerable on issues like the Sosma arrests, UEC recognition and even Lynas, and seems content to leaving them twisting in the wind.

It doesn’t help as well that on the all-important education file, Maszlee Malik is behaving more like an ustaz each day than an education minister; fears are certainly growing among non-Muslims about his ultimate intentions. His latest “dakwah” memo is the last straw. And yet, Mahathir continues to defend him oblivious to the tremendous carnage he is causing both to the PH brand and the education system.

Indeed, for Chinese and other non-Malay educationists, the PH government has been an absolute disaster; and for that too, DAP will suffer.

The other thing that DAP has had to contend with is a level of ugly racism and bigotry the likes of which our nation has never witnessed before. Umno, PAS and a host of Malay NGOs have resorted to the most outrageous and egregious acts of racism and bigotry against DAP imaginable.

The latest spate of videos accusing Lim Guan Eng (LGE) of using his position as finance minister to take away money from the Malays to give to the Chinese and allegations that the communists (code for DAP and the Chinese) have taken control of the government, for example, are all part of a well-organised and systematic campaign to demonise DAP.

Clearly, right-wing Malay groups are incensed that DAP and non-Malays are now better represented in parliament and government. Willing to accept nothing more than token non-Malay representation in government, they are determined to frustrate the present political arrangement by any means possible.

What we are now seeing is the true face of the ugly racism that has long simmered under the surface of our politics. If anything, it has gotten worse under PH, largely because Mahathir has consistently declined to confront it.

Given this racist onslaught and Mahathir’s failure to come to their defence, DAP is, to all intents and purposes, politically marginalised. They cannot initiate anything because it will be turned against them and the PH government. Anything they are involved in, no matter how good or how needed, will immediately be targeted and stymied.

As a consequence, the DAP leadership is now facing huge political pressures both from within and without. They are at the table but powerless. They are in partnership with Mahathir at a time when the larger Chinese community is turning against him.

At the same time, DAP itself is showing signs of the ivory tower syndrome. Its leaders are seen as arrogant, unwilling to listen and out of touch with grassroots sentiment. The sense of estrangement between the leadership and its support base is such that DAP leaders no longer command the same respect as they did before.

As a consequence, DAP grassroots members are in no mood to entertain pleas for patience or understanding. Every time DAP leaders defend Mahathir, they get hammered on social media.

Clearly, the DAP strategy of trying to have it both ways – LGE on the inside supporting the government and Lim Kit Siang critical from the outside – doesn’t cut it anymore. They are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

DAP must now ask itself whether what they gain by sitting around the cabinet table is worth the price they are paying in terms of loss of support, whether staying in government helps or hinders their objectives. In the end, self-survival might demand a radical course correction.

Of course, there is a danger that leaving the government might precipitate a political crisis and perhaps lead to the creation of a Malay unity government. However, Malay political parties are themselves deeply suspicious of each other, cannot agree on leadership issues and do not share the same goals. Their common antipathy for DAP may not, therefore, be sufficient to unite them in any kind of long-term relationship, especially if DAP is no longer part of the government.

If DAP makes clear that it does not intend to engineer the downfall of the PH, that it will remain PH-friendly in Parliament, especially when it comes to implementation of the PH manifesto, it could avoid a political crisis while giving itself more room to manoeuvre.

On other matters, given the number of seats they have in Parliament, they might be able to rein in the worst excesses of Ketuanan Melayu ideologues.

Equally important, a departure from government would also take the wind out of the sails of all the racists out there who have long accused DAP of manipulating the government from within to undermine Islam and the position of the Malays. It would show the nation that, unlike so many Umno and PAS politicians who are willing to lie and manipulate their way back to power through backdoor arrangements and fake news, DAP is willing to make real and principled sacrifices for the good of the nation.

And finally, with DAP out of the way, Malay political parties will be less able to hide behind racial and religious narratives to distract attention from their own failures. Let’s see if parties like PPBM can come up with anything better than flying cars and black shoes.

Whatever it is, it should be clear by now that Mahathir is singlehandedly destroying PH and pulling DAP down with it. Helmed by Umno-minded PPBM ministers, PH is unlikely to deliver on the reform agenda; they were never enthusiastic supporters anyway. With all hope of Mahathir leading the nation to the promised land of Malaysia Baru gone, DAP can explore new avenues to pursue the reform agenda or go the way of the MCA. - Dennis Ignatius


Hadi mmg wajar bengang dgn Anwar. Semasa Anwar dalam ABIM dulu, Anwar Presiden, Ustaz Fadzil Noor Timbalan dan Hadi bawah lagi. Bila Anwar masuk politik dan sertai Umno, Anwar jadi Menteri dan seterusya TPM, Hadi dok situ gak jadi Pembangkang.

Bila Anwar dipecat dan berjuang di dalam Pembangkang, kemudiannya ditubuhkan PR selepas Barisan Alternatif, PR dipimpin oleh Anwar lagi, Hadi dok bawah juga. Tak larat duduk bawah ketiak Anwar, Hadi bawa parti dia keluar dari PR kononnya mahu bersendirian, maka bolehlah dia jadi ketua dalam parti sendiri. Dia ingat dia kuat sendiri bila dia pimpin, dalam PRU14, melambak Kerusi Parlimen partinya lingkup. Balik ke zaman dulu hanya bertahan di Pantai Timur saja.

Dia pun fikir, elok bersama Umno yg tgh nazak setelah tumbang jadi kerajaan. Dia fikir boleh juga dia pimpin parti besar bergabung dgn Umno, maklumlah kononnya biar Islam memimpin. Malangnya, gabungan itu dipimpin oleh Najib selaku Penasihat dan Zahid Hamidi selaku Presiden Umno. Bahkan, Ketua Pembangkang pun dia orang pilih Ismail Sabri. Hadi tetap di takuk lama.

Oleh kerana itu, Hadi cukup tak senang kalau Anwar jadi PM ke 8 kerana mana dia nak letak muka kalau terpaksa melutut dgn Anwar nanti sebagaimana dia dah melutut dgn Tun M yg dia kata dulu hanya layak jadi doktor klinik 1 Msia saja. Nampaknya, Hadi hanya hero di Rusila je lah. - Wfauzdin Ns

Program Subsidi Petrol...
Tahniah Saifuddin Nasution.. Penangguhan perlaksanaan Subsidi Petrol yg diumumkan hari ini antara tindakan yg tepat dari kerajaan.. aku dah lama memegang pendirian tak bersetuju dengan kaedah Subsidi Petrol bersasar yang diperkenalkan dalam belanjawan....

Kekal kan dasar bersubsidi seperti hari ini..Bagi aku dasar hari ini cukup baik, terbukti dasar bersubsidi hari ini kita dapat menikmati harga barangan keperluan yg stabil sepanjang tahun.. Ini fakta!

Kalau Kerajaan menurunkan harga minyak hari ini pun, ia tidak akan dapat menurunkan harga barang..Itu realiti.. itu lebih penting dari persoalan berapa harga minyak hari ini....

Cuma kena jelas kan kepada rakyat setiap minggu berapa subsidi kerajaan, Berapa harga pasaran setiap minggu... mekanisma penyampaian maklumat atas dasar kerajaan itu yang perlu perlu diubah..

Bila dasar subsidi petrol dilaksanakan,dah pasti harga minyak RON 95 juga perlu diapungkan,..ini akan beri kesan kepada kitaran dan sentimen pasaran...Rakyat akan menerima kesan ganda dan berangkai dalam ekonomi..kelompok Pembangkang, Buat lah apa pun..pada depa semua tak kena..

Sekali lagi aku ucap tahniah kepada kerajaan PH dan Menteri saifuddin Nasution..- Ipohmali

Katanya kat Marang...
Kisah gerhana matahari di Rusila.Ini kisah semalam...

Semlm khabarnya kecuh sbb ada gerhana matahari. Ramai yg dtg ke tg piai dan ke kl tempat melihat gerhana matahari. Tok pun bergegas ke rumah guru tok di Rusila utk mengajak dia menyaksikan keaiban gerhana matahari. Sampai di rumah guru tok, tok tengok dia di dapor sedang membelek2 dalam jubahnya sambil mengangkang.

" Tuan guru sedang buat apa? Adakah tuan guru mengalami buasir lagi?" Tanya tok dipintu dapor rumahnya.

Guru tok tersentak sambil cepat2 bangun mencapai tongkatnya. Dia kemalu-maluan tok lihat. Tok buat tak tahu dan bertanya, " Tuan guru, jom kita ke Tg Piai menyaksikan gerhana matahari hari ini, kita boleh solat sunat di sana nanti sambil bawa tabung milo". Tanya tok.

Guru tok mengeleng2 kepala seraya bersandar atas kerusi malas. Sambil membuaikan badannya di kerusi malas, guru tok berkata,
" Wahai Using. Mu tau tak, hari ini tidak akang berlaku gerhana matahari. Mungking ditunda tahung depang, wallahu aklam". Kata guru tok sambil sesekali menjeling ke bawah pusatnta yang dilindungi jubah.

Tok tersentak. " Adakah benar berita ini tuan guru? Tuan guru dapat berita ini melalui mimpi kah". Tanya tok dengan dahi berkerut.



Guru tok tersenyum sumbing mulut. " Tidakkah mu tahu, kalau berlaku gerhana matahari, ada pertandanya. Ahli saing, fizik serta ahli falsafah termasuk ahli silat menyatakang apabila berlaku gerhana matahari telor akang berdiri tegak. Ambe dah check sendiri tadi kat dapor, ambe belek berkali2, ternyata telor ambe normal, berkedudukang seperti biasa, tidak tegak, cuma batangnya saja sedikit naik menahang kencing. Ertinya, tidak berlaku gerhana.". Jawab guru tok sambil menyilangkan kakinya dan bergoyang2.

" Teehehehee...Laaa...tuan guru. Tuan guru khilaf ni. Apa yang dimaksudkan oleh ahli sains itu adalah telor ayam, bukan telor kita,". Kata tok sambil tutup mulut menahan ketawa. Bimbang juga, maklumlah, tongkat ada di sebelah guru tok.

Wajah guru tok tiba2 berubah merah seperti sotong mengawan menahan klimaks.

" Using...biar betul? Jadi, sia2 lah ambe hampir setengah jang di dapor belek telor ambe...err..kalau gitu, moh kite ke sana...kita doh lewat ni..". Kata guru tok sambil laju keluar pintu dapor sambil menarik tangan tok menuju ke kereta mewahnya.

" Ok..ok..jom tuan guru..teeheheee..". Tok masih menahan ketawa membayangkan peristiwa di dapor sebentar tadi. - Tok Usin
British bukan penjajah, depa mai sini jalan jalan je sambil menikmati udara Khatulistiwa.. Sama macam Jepun, Belanda, Portugis, Siam, etc - f/bkcheers.

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