When Pakatan needs Barisan
By Mak Khuin Weng
There has been a lot of talk about how Barisan Nasional is weak but a weaker Opposition meant that this weakness could not be taken advantage of.
Is BN really weak?
BN representatives – despite all manner of rumours – have remained steadfast with their chosen leader Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Indeed, when Najib was confronted by all the other BN component parties over the red shirt rally with all other component parties voting to stop that rally, Najib could still walk out of that meeting and announce to the world that they agreed to disagree with not a single coalition partner leader lashing out.
When Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed and Datuk Seri Muhyiddin Yassin attempted to break ranks, they were systematically shut down and shunned by BN. Anyone that was in this camp has been completely decimated and ostracised politically.
The opposition meanwhile comes in different packaging with confusing labels on what they actually stand for.
Pakatan Harapan exists in Penang but not exist in Selangor or Kelantan. Pakatan Rakyat supposedly still exists in Selangor while there is only PAS in Kelantan. In the states of Johor and Sarawak, the local chapters of PKR, DAP and PAS have been reported to squabble amongst each other from time to time.
PH was launched without a constitution or even an anointed leader. Even PR also does not have a constitution, only a common framework policy, and we all know how well that policy worked in the end.
It gets even more confusing when you try to spell out the relationship between these partners:
* According to DAP, PAS is a traitor but they can still work with PKR, except that there appears to be elements of treachery when Penang PKR reps abstained from voting in support of the Penang government.
* According to PAS, DAP is a traitor but they can still work with PKR.
* According to PKR, they can work with PAS and DAP even if the other two cannot work with each other.
This confusing relationship has made it impossible for them to be a cohesive voting bloc and their differences often lead to confrontations and accusations against each other.
In terms of political strategies, all the major plans for change by Pakatan backfire because they stupidly inject their plans with a fatal flaw – the need for BN dissidents to support those plans.
We had the September 16 crossover from BN that never happened as a lesson. We had the crossover of an Umno assemblyperson in Perak that led to the collapse of the Perak government as a lesson. And now we have a vote of no confidence against Najib that failed added to the list of lessons Pakatan needs to learn.
Pakatan should stop depending on BN to take down BN. When you need someone and they do not need you in return, you are just asking to be used and abused.
