It’s time for a people-centred Third Force
Time to save Malaysia from neo-liberal capitalists, naked political opportunism, and racial discrimination.
Kua Kia Soong, Free Malaysia Today
In March 2008 the two-front system that we had called for in the 1990 general elections finally came about, producing an alternative, namely Pakatan Rakyat (PR), to the Barisan Nasional. Barely eight years later, those days of hope have been dashed by the recent split between DAP and PAS in 2015 and now, the bickering between DAP and PKR and their failure to present the BN with a one-to-one challenge in six seats at the Sarawak state elections.
The name calling by DAP leaders we thought was only reserved for the PAS leaders has now been used against PKR leaders as well.
Dearth of leadership & alternative policies in PR
Without a doubt, the PR coalition was held together at the start by the PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim, even though their alternative policies to the BN were never entirely clear. Their neo-liberal tendencies led to BN-type policies in the development of the states they controlled, ie. Selangor and Penang, policies which have produced little change in the living conditions of the lower income groups.
Private developers have had a field day in these PR-held states since 2008 with the promise of more multi-billion projects in reclamation, undersea tunnels, highways and luxury development.
Policies aside, Anwar’s leadership in holding the PR coalition together started to suffer a setback possibly because he was deflected by his sodomy trial as well as self-centred opportunistic tendencies among the component parties in PR.
This was clearly seen during the asinine ‘Kajang Move’ in 2014 when there was a “resignation of convenience” by the incumbent PKR Adun after internal politicking between the PKR Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and the PKR strongman Azmin Ali who was opposing him.
The cost of this short-sighted ‘Kajang Move’ was to force a by-election and leave constituents without representation for weeks. It exposed an irresponsible attitude of PR in taking the Malaysian electorate for granted by forcing a by-election just to facilitate the entry of Anwar Ibrahim into the Selangor state government. It was a most cynical violation of the public trust.
More costly for the PR coalition, the Kajang Move had been carried out without adequate consultation with the other PR partners and fissures soon began to appear between them. Three decades of engagement with PAS, the largest Malay-based party in the coalition, was about to come asunder.
The dearth of leadership in PR was clear when the former Menteri Besar was openly maligned as inept and corrupt by lesser DAP politicians to justify his ousting. It was also clear the PAS President was not consulted over this irresponsible political move. The Kajang Move showed not only contempt for the voters in Kajang but also insensitivity toward the PAS leaders who were part of the PR coalition.
Bad mouthing the PAS President
After months of name calling against the PAS President Hadi Awang, which can only be described as ‘kurang ajar’, Pakatan Rakyat was officially disbanded on 16 June 2015 after the DAP declared it could no longer work with PAS. It was a sad day for all Malaysians who had hopes for a viable alternative to the Barisan Nasional.
The long-term effect of such uncouth bad mouthing of the PAS leader remains to be seen. The DAP will have to measure the relative weight of their token Malays in the party against the loathing towards DAP among not only Umno supporters but now also PAS supporters.
Is this behaviour the result of insensitivity, the lack of wisdom or naked opportunism that has blinded the DAP leaders to common sense needed to engage with PAS leaders and members if they are genuinely interested in “winning over Malays to the DAP”?
The DAP is now willing and able to work with the man who has been responsible for privatising practically all of Malaysian industry and destroying whatever semblance of democracy we had in his 22 years in office – all because of the stated need to “save Malaysia”.
Naked opportunism the main culprit
The DAP’s significant political turnaround in their current readiness to work with the erstwhile oppressor and autocrat of Malaysia requires a more responsible political economic analysis by the DAP leadership to justify this volte face. They also owe the Malaysian people an analysis of class oppression in Malaysia today and how this ties in with their new agenda to “save Malaysia”.
