The Politics Of Outrage By Philip Golingai

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Reform interests? Rafizi with his allies voicing their concerns regarding the recent judicial appointments in a press conference. — LOW BOON TAT/The StarIT'S JUST POLITICS 
The Star, Sunday, 13 Jul 2025
POP quiz.
Which politicians or parties are vocal about the proposed Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the judiciary, the expansions and rate increases in the Sales and Service Tax (SST), and the perceived slow pace of the Reformasi agenda?
1. Bersatu and PAS
2. DAP
3. Rafizi Ramli

4. Muhyiddin Yassin
5. None of the above
6. All the above
I won’t provide an answer. The right one will depend on who is answering the question. Different people from the political divide will have different answers.
Have you noticed that Perikatan Nasional, which the Pakatan Harapan supporters often associate with leveraging the 3R (Race, Religion and Royalty) issues, appears to be speaking less about these sensitive matters?
The last time such an incident occurred was a month ago, when a division head from PAS, a Perikatan component party, posted on social media about the historic promotion of Major General Datuk Johnny Lim Eng Seng to Lieutenant General in June 2025, making him the first Chinese officer to reach this rank.
But PAS was quick to distance itself from the controversy, saying that the social media post did not represent the party’s official position. The Islamic party said it was contrary to its policies and principles regarding racial and religious diversity.
Now, Perikatan is like Pakatan Harapan when the alliance was in opposition. It is raising issues on the proposed RCI on the judiciary, the expansions and rate increases in the SST, and the perceived slow pace of the Reformasi agenda.
I recently had a chat with a senior leader of Bersatu in Bangsar, and he informed me that Perikatan is now focusing on governance, justice, transparency, democracy and accountability.
Sounds like what Pakatan was like when it was in the opposition?
Perikatan, the Bersatu politician said, was prioritising less on restrictions on gambling and alcohol and questioning non-Muslim loyalty.
Can this rebranding work to win the hearts and minds of the non-Muslims voters who are so fearful that Perikatan, especially PAS, will be back in power?
Let’s go back to the Pakatan Rakyat era. The opposition alliance consisted of PKR, DAP and PAS. The slogan the Islamic party used predominantly from the late 1990s and into the 2000s, notably during the 1999, 2008, and 2013 general elections, was “PAS for All”. The opposition crowd at the time bought into the slogan.
They related to me their experience during the Bersih protests on how the PAS unit amal (security team) shielded them from the perceived excessive force of the police. My feverish anti-Barisan Nasional friends told me that they were not afraid of hudud (which Barisan used to frighten the opposition of the possibility of Pakatan Rakyat coming into power).
Fast forward to now.
Can these Pakatan crowd, who are afraid of PAS conservative agendas, fall in love again with the Islamist party now that Perikatan is talking about the Reformasi language they understand?
Perikatan, now out of power, is the new Pakatan Harapan, just as it was when it was in the opposition. Will it revert to the old Perikatan if it returns to power?
Let’s rewind to the time when DAP created a GST song. Remember A-B-C-D-GST?
“A-B-C-D-GST
Harga naik untuk you and me
Mesti makan Maggi Mee
Semua kena GST
Bayar untuk 1MDB.”


(A-B-C-D-GST
Prices rise for you and me
Must eat Maggi Mee
Everyone is subject to GST
Pay for 1MDB.)
DAP sang the song as a political tool to mobilise public opposition against the GST ahead of the 14th General Election (GE14) in 2018. Does DAP have any SST songs now that it is part of the government?
Remember how DAP was so against corruption by then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and the 1MDB controversy? Did the party make as much noise as it did while in opposition when Ahmad Zahid was granted DNAA (Discharge Not Amounting to an Acquittal) for the 47 charges of criminal breach of trust, corruption, and money laundering?
The criticisms of DAP by even those who adored it when it was in opposition are now that it is in government, it is no longer the defender of the people. The keywords used are “hypocrisy” and “double standards.”
Will the Pakatan voters teach DAP a lesson in GE16?
Guess who is vocal now? The joke is that a government politician is now doing the heavy lifting for Perikatan.
Since Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli has lost his post as PKR deputy president and quit as the Economy Minister, he is vocal in his criticism of his party’s government.
Rafizi has led eight PKR MPs (and, if you want to be less rigid about it, DAP’s Seputeh MP Teresa Kok) to publicly voice strong opposition and concern regarding recent judicial appointments.
Is Rafizi doing it now that he is no longer a PKR deputy president and Economy Minister, for political sake?
The consistent conscience of PKR, Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim, has questioned whether his party’s MPs have fully considered the long-term consequences of their actions.
Karim asked if genuine reformist ideals or personal political interests drove them.
Perikatan chairman and Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has lately been vocal about issues. The former Prime Minister has criticised Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s government of judicial and executive Interference, economic policies and cost of living, and governance and performance.
Has the Pagoh MP become vocal as those who want him replaced as president by his deputy, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, have criticised him for being slow in attacking the government? Will Muhyiddin remain vocal if he is back in power?
Another pop quiz.
A politician is only vocal on issues that matter to the rakyat when:
1. In the government
2. In the opposition
3. In the government and the opposition
4. In the government but is out of favour
5. In retirement.
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Still on outrage, worth reading is this articulately written Letter to FMT Editor from former Attorney General and Federal Court judge, Tan Sri Apandi Ali entitled:
Manufactured outrage over judicial appointments: a case of selective memory
If the Malaysian Bar, civil society, and opposition leaders are truly serious about reform, they must first reckon with past violations that went ignored.
It is laughable, if not deeply ironic, that a group of MPs, the Malaysian Bar, and civil society figures are now calling for a royal commission of inquiry, petitioning the prime minister and organising walks for justice and public forums all because they fear the prime minister may appoint senior judges without strictly following the names recommended by the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC).
Even more amusing is their insistence that the top judicial vacancies must be urgently filled despite the fact that no legal or constitutional deadline mandates immediate appointment.
Let’s be clear: this hysteria is entirely based on a hypothetical scenario, one that has not even materialised. According to Section 27 of the JAC Act, the prime minister is perfectly entitled to request two more names for any judicial vacancy, including the offices of the chief justice, president of the Court of Appeal, and other top positions. The law allows room for executive discretion in such appointments.
Read on https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2025/07/14/manufactured-outrage-over-judicial-appointments-a-case-of-selective-memory
Last POP quiz for today.
 
 

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