Yoursay Lesson No 1 It S A Unity Govt Not A Harapan One

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YOURSAY | ‘The truth is Umno is still the kingmaker, Harapan only has 82 seats.’
COMMENT | Anwar has bought Harapan time
MS: In setting the tone for the kind of governance he intends to institute, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim should use the same tools against the likes of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin - the Quranic proscriptions against abuse of power, the oppression of minorities, and the accumulation of wealth by those who preach the loudest.
He can start by putting the lifestyles of the ‘lebai’ and their enablers like Perikatan Nasional (PN) information chief Azmin Ali and his boss, Muhyiddin, under a microscope.
A little bit of sunshine will go a long way to send the roaches scurrying for cover.
He can also shed light on the continual abuse of public funds as revealed by the various auditor-general’s reports of the past and show how despite the billions allocated to Jakim (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia), the ethics and morals of the believers entrusted with taxpayer funds have only got worse - thus making the case for the reallocation of Jakim's unaccounted riches to those fighting corruption.
In short, what Anwar needs to do consistently, without ever letting up, is to take the fight to its preachy enemies, putting them on the defensive such that they do not have the time to plot and pontificate.
He must always remember that those on the other side have much to hide and even more to answer for.
Man on the Silver Mountain: In my opinion, Malaysiakini columnist S Thayaparan is just about right in his assessment of the current Malaysian politics.
It is basically a Malay versus non-Malay and Islam versus non-Islam political landscape. In other words, racism and religious bigotry versus multiracial and multi-religious ideology.
So far, a purely Malay and Islamic religious ‘ketuanan’ (supremacy) agenda could not win the election all on their own and form the government even though they are backed by the majority of Malay voters.
The answer is simple - the non-Malays would have none of it and there are indeed many Malays who do not espouse extremism.
So PAS/Bersatu combo cannot and will not win in a general election though they will no doubt capture a good number of votes and states like the north and east coast of the peninsula.
But they will never win in the non-Malay states like Penang and Sarawak and the more liberal states like Selangor and Sabah. Those they cannot hope to capture.
Thus, it will end in a stalemate just like in the 15th general election. This is where the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, would play a critical role in determining the government.
This is the reality of Malaysian politics and people should know where their votes should go to.
If you want a winnable one, go to the multiracial one, and if you are a fanatic, you can continue with the racist-religious combo, which is strong in a narrow sense but which will not win in the big picture.
Milshah: I think what we must first remember is that this is not a Pakatan Harapan government. It is a unity government.
We must also remember nobody won the 15th general election. It was a hung parliament. No one coalition obtained the necessary number of seats to form the government.
This unity government was at the decree of the Agong. The Agong, through his wisdom and to break this deadlock, told the parties to form a unity government.
Initially, Umno wanted to be in the opposition. Umno knew with only 30 seats, the rakyat have rejected them. To be neutral, they opted to be the opposition. This means, being the opposition was Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s official stand as well.
It was only when the Agong told everyone to form a unity government, Umno was willing to support Harapan. So, the one who deserves credit for this unity government is the Agong.
I wanted to emphasise this because I don’t want Harapan supporters to think they won the recent general election. They did not. The truth is Umno is still the kingmaker and Harapan has only 82 seats.
How do we go from here? Anything can happen. Harapan won the 14th general election fair and square but collapsed in 22 months. How long do you think a unity government led by a coalition with only 82 seats can survive?
Apanama is Back: Thayaparan, your first paragraph is interesting. "... Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister of this country has bought us some time."
It looks like you are not confident about this unity government. There are two factors here to ensure this unity government could last five years. One is Agong's decree and the other is Anwar himself.
The question we need to ask ourselves proactively is how this unity government could be brought down and theocratic rule prevails.
We cannot be in denial and assume everything will be smooth. Take precautions now rather than feel sorry later.
Those opposing Harapan will first bring down Zahid. Five months from now, Umno will hold its party election. By bringing Zahid down, this unity government goes down with it.
Umno might choose Sembrong MP Hishammuddin Hussein or former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob as their president. Remember, the grassroots voted for "No Anwar, No DAP".
Thus, BN will pull its support from this unity government. The unity government could remain intact unless GPS also follows suit. Then it is game over.
So Thayaparan, "some time" is a double-edged sword in our context. Anwar should get an agreement prepared and signed by all the coalition members, BN, GPS, GRS, Warisan and Independents.
Drngsc: Thayaparan has not considered that in terms of party philosophy, Harapan, BN, GPS and Warisan have much in common. Their common enemy is PAS due to religious extremism and PN.
The answer does not lie with Anwar. It lies with individual greed and selfishness. We shall see in the months ahead.
The key will be Harapan supporters - they should stop thinking this is a Harapan government and demanding things like Malaysian Malaysia. If this was a Harapan government, you may have the right to do so, but this is a unity government which can collapse anytime.
Can this unity government survive? It will very much depend on the understanding and concession from Harapan supporters.
If they lack this and believe they have won, it will result in Umno pulling out, resulting in the collapse of the government just like the Harapan government after winning the 14th general election.
There will be issues in the future that will test this unity government. If Harapan supporters are understanding and willing to compromise, only then can this unity government survive.
Learn from the mistakes of the past. - Mkini

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