Written by Wong Choon Mei, Politics Now!
KUALA LUMPUR (Politics Now!) - It's time for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to shift back to the centre - there's not a moment to lose. Pas has just delivered its first credible PM-in-waiting candidate Samsuri Mokhtar with the stunning Kemaman by-election victory and like it or not, Anwar must let go of his ego and focus on doing what he and his Pakatan Harapan coalition have always promised voters that they will do - put the country and the economy back on track!
"Malays and non-Malays don't need Anwar or Kit Siang to defend them. They can defend themselves and there is no need for any defense in the first place. Malaysians are normal human beings who want to get on with their lives in a prosperous and healthy environment without being forced to take political sides just because so and so, be it Anwar now or Mahathir and Najib in the past, wants to monopolise the PM's post," a long-time watcher of Malaysia's hyperactive political scene told Politics Now!
"So instead of listening to ill-advised Little Napoleons in PKR, Anwar must steady himself. There's no need to out-Malay Umno or Bersatu or out-Muslim Pas - just be himself or at least, the self that he portrayed while leading Pakatan all these years. And Kit Siang should stay fully retired for good, he's just as bad for the country as Mahathir and Hadi Awang."
"Take Jui Meng's death as a wake up call that life is finite and do all that you can while you can. Accept that SG4 is lost and will stay lost until the people there are fed of Pas. Defend the other 7 states in the peninsula especially Pahang, Perak, Melaka and Selangor. Focus on the economy, not backdoor moves like poaching opposition MPs which only make non-ink disgusted with you and Malays hate you even more. Go for the low-hanging fruits like tourism while waiting for the longer-term structural reforms to show results. Anwar has started doing this, he should have done it earlier but never mind, the results will be an eyeopener for the whole country and then he won't need to worry about being slapped down for political antics. Respect will come to him and only then will the heartland Malays think again about Pas. Even if he never wins them over, he has done what any PM should do - defend the country as a whole, not let it become a hardcore, radical state right at the bottom of the ASEAN table."
The analyst was referring to veteran politician Chua Jui Meng who passed away on Sunday at the age of 80. Indeed the majority of the politicians still steering Malaysia's direction are from Jui Meng's generation; Lim Kit Siang, the DAP supremo, is 82; Anwar and Hadi, the Pas president are both 76; Zahid Hamidi, the Umno president, and Muhyiddin Yassin, the head of Bersatu, are also 76; while grand old man Mahathir Mohamad is 98.
IN DENIAL & HEADLESS CHICKEN MODE
In denial mode or "simply playing polemics", Kit Siang had rushed out to poke fire at Samsuri's victory, asking if Hadi would give way to Samsuri. But why wouldn't Hadi and even if Hadi doesn't, of what business is it of the DAP's?
Where was Kit Siang when the ringgit plunged to its lowest level in history, how long did he wait before speaking up on Zahid's controversial discharge from corruption charges, why is he still staying silent on Anwar's backdoor moves to 'pinch' opposition MPs despite numerous warnings that such questionable politics would only make Malays more sympathetic towards the opposition? Indulgently and insincerely quiet? So would Malaysians listen to him now as he tries to take the moral high ground, when it looks more like he's only doing damage control for Anwar and the rest of Pakatan?
"The question now is whether Hadi Awang will step down as PAS President for Samsuri to take over to lead a PAS which is more moderate and open-minded,” Kit Siang had said in a statement today.
While Anwar's just as in-denial political secretary too tried to downplay Samsuri's massive victory as “nothing extraordinary”, even hinting that Muhyiddin and Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainuddin should watch their backs with a 'young Turk' like the 53-year-old Samsuri breathing down their necks.
“Don’t be disheartened. Work well together (with Samsuri),” Free Malaysia Today reported Kamil Abdul Munim as cynically saying.
Best still is the argument from Umno's corruption-tainted Zahid Hamidi, who baldly insists there was "no increased support" for Pas despite the blatant landslide of votes towards the likeable Samsuri.
Outstandingly feeble too was the attempt by Anwar's communications minister Fahmi Fadzil that the Anwar regime was "not worried" and the ones who should worry should be Bersatu, which is Pas' partner in the PN opposition coalition.
“I think PAS is gunning for the opposition leader role,” Fahmi famously told reporters. “So I think the ones who should be concerned right now are Bersatu, because it’s quite clear that Pas may push for or request for the position of opposition leader in the future.”
REFERENDUM FOR PLAYING 'FROGGIE' & NEGLECTING THE ECONOMY
Yet the one who should worry the most and has the most to lose is obviously Anwar.
"Of course, Kemaman is a referendum on Anwar's government for neglecting the economy. Serves him right because he was already warned numerous times not to play 'froggie' (party hopping tricks) with Bersatu MPs as it would only create more Malay sympathy for Bersatu but he didn't want to listen," another political analyst told Politics Now!
"Anwar must shake himself out of Anwar land where he thinks he's everything to everyone - which we all know is impossible especially when he's not that one-in-a-million leader that he thinks he is. Can Anwar, Anwar, Anwar save Malaysia? Ridiculous isn't it? But if he changes and cracks the right whip - especially on his own underperforming advisers and ministers - he can still do good for the country. He can still come out winner if he changes and be able to leave behind a decent legacy when he retires."
REPEAT DISASTER IN 2027?
Indeed, perhaps it's time for Anwar to climb out of the political fuzziness that has encapsulated his administration since taking power last year. If not ousted prematurely, Anwar still has a good four years more to show his worth, with the next general election due only in 2027/
He and Pakatan won 82 of the country's 222 parliamentary seats in the 2022 general election - the most of any party or coalition but still insufficient to form a simple majority. However he managed to cobble together a unity government with the King's help.
Whether he can retain the loyalty of his coalition mates which include Umno, Sarawak's GPS and Sabah's GRS, remains to be seen.
But already it is clear, whether Samsuri will be 'remote-controlled' by Hadi or his increasingly extremist Pas party, a 2027 victory by the Malay-centric PN coalition will be the repeat disaster that finally kills Malaysia.
Sacked Umno leader Annuar Musa, who is now a Pas leader, gave on Sunday a chilling glimpse of what's to come if Pas and Bersatu return to federal power.
”Electricity tariffs have risen, support for Hamas has been muted, takbir shouts no longer allowed, opposition MPs face allocation refusals, Sabah’s allocation is limited, royalties to Opposition states delayed, LGBT normalisation is noted, prima facie cases dropped, and the LCS case remains silent while ‘bosku’ is neglected,” Annuar wrote on Facebook.
“What other Madani initiatives are to come...” he wondered.
KARMA FOR THE LITTLE NAPOLEONS
Well, Anwar and his unity government may not have done much in their first year, misguided by Little Napoleons who sought to make Anwar into some sort of hero and on that misguided strategy, pull the rest of his Pakatan-led regime up with him.
As such, no one could criticize him or risk facing action from the authorities. Media and blogs that spoke up were suppressed in unfair and unethical ways.
Fortunately, there is karma. And even more fortunately for Malaysia, there are also those who are better than Anwar and his coterie of self-patting followers.
Until the likes of Annuar Musa, Bersatu and Pas change their extremist ways - or 'new' leaders such as Khairy Jamaluddin or Hishammuddin Hussein can convince non-Malays of their multiracial worth - even if Anwar gets ousted before his term is up, the non-Malay vote is likely to stay with Pakatan Harapan - even if they really, truly don't deserve it.
Written by Wong Choon Mei, Politics Now!
Politics Now!
Comments