There must be no strings attached in Kelantan ‘unity’ call
Alyaa Alhadjri, The Ant Daily
There are not enough words to describe the devastation suffered by up to 250,000 victims of the recent floods – the largest number recorded in Kelantan – with estimated losses amounting to at least RM1 billion.
So let me just get straight to the point, before I completely miss the point altogether.
When faced with a national crisis, whether officially declared or otherwise, there is utmost importance for all parties to unite towards the common goal of restoring normalcy to the lives of affected victims.
Torrential floods have now subsided in most parts of the east coast and recovery efforts are ongoing, involving various federal and state agencies, supported by volunteers from non-governmental organisations.
In coordinating such efforts, there must be a clear distinction between “federal and state government cooperation” and collaboration between political parties, in this case, Umno and PAS in Kelantan.
The idea to form an Umno-PAS “unity government” in the name of upholding “Malay-Muslim unity” is nothing new and have been raised (and dismissed) time and time again.
On Dec 31 last year, about one week after the floods hit Kelantan, the proposal was once again made by Malay-daily Sinar Harian managing editor Datuk Hussamuddin Yaacub in an exclusive interview with his own newspaper.
Hussamudin, a well-known Kelantanese entrepreneur, had argued that there must be a “truly honest” cooperation between the PAS-led state government and Umno-led Barisan Nasional in order to plan and execute measures to prevent such a tragedy from recurring in the future.
In an immediate response to Hussamuddin’s call, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin was quoted by Bernama as saying: “I don’t think this is the time for a coalition government because that is a political matter.
“We can have normal coordination…because even if PAS is the state government, when the prime minister went there, the menteri besar was also present,” said the Umno Youth chief.
And indeed, on the surface, Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yaakob’s presence at the airport to greet Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak can be seen as a sign of his willingness to set aside political differences for the sake of the people.
Umno Cheras chief Datuk Syed Ali Alhabshee (to name just one leader), meanwhile, chose to continue relentlessly attacking PAS central leaders who have been steadfastly opposing any form of collaboration with Umno, accusing them of being “arrogant” in times of crisis.
On Monday, PAS central committee leader Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz was however quoted as saying that the Kelantan state government had since Dec 26 set up a joint flood disaster committee with the Umno elected representatives.
“I see politics as a small issue and I believe that the people, all across the country and also in Kelantan will agree that the flood is an issue that cuts across political boundaries,” he reportedly said.
PAS information chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar, meanwhile, described the close cooperation at a “government to government” level as a new episode in the party’s history of administering Kelantan since 1990.
