Watch it PR, we may not need you
Umar Mukhtar
Cast aside the fog and you will admit that PR was born out of two push factors – the common hatred of BN’s arrogant corrupt ways and the differing dreams that if BN is ousted your pet peeve will reign supreme. Not bad reasons for galvanising voter unity. Touché.
After more than a decade of screaming ‘RE-FOR-MA-SI’ and having had more than a fair chance to prove its desireabily vis-a-vis BN, the opposition coalition is still a floundering rag-tag team of exactly that – floundering, rag-tag and most significantly, opposition, not ruling.
The factors contributing to its birth are still there, if not worse than ever. Apart from the rampant corruption plaguing the country, the other pet peeve of these BN-haters differ greatly among themselves and are now more pronounced than ever. Whose fault is that if not its own lack of commitment to unity and poor conviction to rule.
Unity is more than agreeing at the polls, more than the numbers you can gather at demonstrations, and more than superficial pacifying of those you disagree with. It is the fruits of addressing painful issues with your partners honestly and emphatically. Is that rocket science? It that too much to ask? It sure seems so for the strange bedfellows that the coalition will be confirmed as by history.
It was bad enough that the coalition was unofficially led by someone who tried to ride this semblance of unity just to be Prime Minister. He would gloss over critical differences just so the coalition stay together. His favorite response to concerned leaders was, “Don’t worry, when I become PM, I will solve it.” As if the PM office is that of a dictator or a magician. It only convinced salivating cultists and allowed fellow-travellers to patronise.
Now the huge differences between PAS and DAP are obvious, and he is in jail for personal indiscretions. DAP’s Lim Kit Siang is beginning to look for another consensual group, which will only push DAP’s enemies to band together. No one is making any effort to work out the differences of the coalition partners. Only hot air of self-righteousness from both sides.
As if the priority task at hand is to convince the other side to accept one side’s arguments. Some zero-sum formula that perverts the mind. Malaysians know this will go on and on and on. It’s almost childish. And yet you want to rule. One wonders where are the bright minds. They are surely not in BN. Or are Malaysians so dearth of talent? Or maybe the present ageing leaders do not welcome other ways of looking at things.
What is obvious is that too much water is under the bridge for kissing and making up. Unless Malaysians give the signal that now is the time for new politics, these jokers will continue singing the age-old song of being just an opposition. And you don’t need a coalition for that.
Meanwhile Malaysians will continue to live reasonably well compared to Somalia although knowing fully well that it doesn’t take much to blow the keg, for a dream to turn to a nightmare.
