Rafizi, the Mother of all Liars
Raggie Jessy
The following is an adaptated excerpt from a previous article (http://www.malaysia-today.net/the-malaysian-dilemma-part-ii-god-never-played-dice/)
Rafizi is the mother of all liars born since Malaysia gained independence. He earned the tag fair and square, the minute he predicated purported concessions made by PKR over PSM’s contest during GE13.
But first, let us establish why leftist movements such as PRM and PSM give both PKR and the federal government the willies.
1. Socialism in Malaysia
Both the PKR and DAP never really sanctioned PAS’s theological doctrines at any point since 1998. PAS was always the anomaly, which explains why Pakatan Rakyat is yet to be registered with the Registrar of Societies (RoS). But PAS was a necessary anomaly, one roped into the coalition to represent leftist attitudes by low and middle-income classes of dissidents who preferred UMNO struck off political equations. All in all, PAS was nothing more than a radical Islamist variant to a group of Socialists.
With Reformasi, Anwar subtly importuned a conspicuous segment to these classes for support, amassing an all encompassing patronage from moderate Malays to hardliner Islamists. Although PAS appealed to Islamist reformers, it was Kit Siang who inveigled a Chinese pass towards obliterating UMNO and the Social Contract.
The unheralded coming of PRM (Parti Rakyat Malaysia) was augmented by the Hindraf and Reformasi movements, which inadvertently drew in leftist moderates by the busloads, without them (PRM) having to do anything. In theory, PRM assuaged the chronic insecurity manifest among a people by laying out an alternative to PAS and DAP, which were perceived as radical racialists.
Thus, PRM became that other anomaly Anwar sought to swallow up whole in keeping check PAS’s dominion of influence. This is precisely why the two parties merged in 2003, giving rise to Parti Keadilan Rakyat, which to me is nothing more than a commutation of names.
Parti Sosialis Malaysia (or PSM) is a socialist front cut from the same cloth as PRM, never dull of patronage. Its consolidation under the RoS in 2008 followed a legal tussle with the government over its legitimacy. That is to say, PSM sought to uphold tenets to the Federal Constitution which guarantees the right to form a political party, denied to them by the Home Minister.
The Federal Government perceived PSM to be a threat to national security, which to me, is quite the load of bunkum and something I could never pin my faith on.
2. The Hands that Rocked PSM’s Cradle
On November 5, 2014, Rafizi uttered a lie, possibly the mother of all told since Azizah declared a legion to her favour in Selangor. According to him, PSM was ‘allowed’ to contest PKR designated seats during GE13 under the PKR banner.
The truth is, PSM was never ‘allowed’ to borrow PKR’s logo during GE13; PSM was forced to use the PKR logo during GE13.
PSM was forced to use PKR’s logo, because PKR sought to keep in check PAS’s dominion of influence within the confines of Selangor. In theory, PKR sought to run rings around PAS in dictating the state’s legislative composition, and particularly, the rank of Menteri Besar. They feared PAS, because PAS was a radical leftist group, the inevitable result of a democratic rite of passage.
PKR resorted to such measures, because PSM was a third force capable of winning over Malay leftists within the Selangor political quotient, particularly those preferring a moderate platform of expression. They may not have emerged victorious, but would surely have split votes within constituencies they contested, delivering virtual walkovers to Barisan Nasional.
This is precisely why PSM’s Dr. Nasir was cornered into contesting the Kota Damansara seat using PKR’s logo. His candidacy sent shivers up Hadi’s spine, resulting in the eleventh hour nomination of Ridzuan Ismail, who contested under PAS’s banner. Ironically, Dr. Nasir had only received his appointment letter from PKR a day before nominations, which puts to perspective how PKR has its heart in its mouth over PAS.
Dr. Nasir was likely coerced into compliance by Azmin Ali, who seemed to endorse a lawyer aligned to PKR for the seat, probably as his trump card. That is to say, Azmin may have intimidated Dr. Nasir into using PKR’s logo in Kota Damansara, because he, like the rest of PKR, found socialist circles to be a potent third force capable of upstaging Pakatan Rakyat.
When PSM decided for the use of its own logo in Sememnyih, Azmin Ali went ahead and fielded Hamidi Hassan against PSM’s Arutchelvan and Barisan Nasional’s Johan Abd. Aziz. It was Azmin’s way of denying PSM a rather assured victory by confusing the electorate, who by then were convinced of cloak-and-dagger pursuits by a PKR-PSM collusion. And PKR was willing to do this at the expense of a victory.
PSM’s persistence and perseverance is something that makes Anwar’s hair stand on the end and Barisan to shake in its shoes. It does, because it was precipitated off a regularity that circumscribes a rite of passage, one endemic to an infant democracy.
Withal, it is now established, that Rafizi is indeed a born liar.
