Time for the rakyat to be vigilant

Subramaniam Krishnan

The latest veiled threat by Parti Pribumi Bersatu’s youth wing, ARMADA, against the DAP Socialist Youth is nothing more than a final nail in the coalition’s coffin.

In a statement posted on its site, ARMADA called DAPSY to shut up or shut down, after the DAP youth wing criticised Pakatan Harapan Youth chief’s decision to openly name several key member-MPs to stop discussing the matters of transition.

Syed Saddiq Syed Abd Rahman, who also leads ARMADA, said member parties in the PH coalition should clean up their own house instead of even discussing the matters of transition.

Of course, from an ordinary rakyat point of view this is already highly ironic given the timing: right after the drug bust that involved several key officers in ministries helmed by Bersatu ministers, and just in time for the Malay nationalist party’s inaugural election.

Syed Saddiq is also not a stranger when it comes to double talk: from time to time he will throw the usual rhetoric on the importance of clean and transparent politics while holding a knife in the back of fellow coalition members.

Something that was rubbed onto him from his mentor, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The Kimanis by-election loss recently points to the need of various PH factions to band together and effectively work out a strategy to retain and grow its support base. This may entail a necessary change of leadership from the top, which in and of itself is a tough call to be made, a call which – until now – was an afterthought despite the 4 other by-election losses suffered.

Despite being lauded by many as the x-factor in pushing PH into the government, Tun Dr Mahathir’s second tenure as Malaysia’s Prime Minister has somehow devolved into something else entirely. With his constant effort at belittling the poor, as well as the lack of will in enacting reforms and to better the economy, many Malaysians are sick of him by now and are willing to have someone else to have a go.

This sentiment doubtlessly made Bersatu uncomfortable, which would not be that much of a surprise given the power-hunger they have exhibited throughout their lifespan.

For one, Tun Dr Mahathir and Bersatu, for the past 20 months since coming into power, has failed to live up to the Pakatan Harapan spirit.

Not only is the party mainly made up of former UMNO members looking to bask in the light, they also unfortunately have the most disproportionate say in Cabinet decisions given the number of MPs they have and the number of ministerial portfolios they get. 

To put it into scale, Bersatu occupies 11% of the Parliament yet has 22% of the power share in the Cabinet. DAP has the same amount of power share despite occupying 19% of the Parliament.

This of course sets the precedence to the debacle the coalition is facing today.

For now, the power balance sits with Tun Dr Mahathir himself, and party members gunning for posts and relevance, as well as the Mahathir and Daim clans, would like to continue this until the next General Election.

Which comes at a price they are all too willing to pay: by undermining coalition members and continue being the paper tiger that they are.

Just this week, a police report was made by an ARMADA member eyeing for the Youth chief post against Otai Reformasi, for allegedly trying to subvert Tun Dr Mahathir himself, through similar methods akin to the 1998 Reformasi movement.

While Otai Reformasi is not entirely de-linked from any political influences, we must also admit that they are formed by members who bled in the streets trying to reform the country and free it from the shackles of a dictator not too long ago.

Of course, this is just one of the many tricks up Bersatu’s sleeves to shut out any probability that will upset the balance of power they are enjoying, which is also eerily similar to what UMNO is known for.

Being the shrewd politician that he is, Tun Dr Mahathir is more than happy to let things unravel as they are rather than trying to band together the various factions in the coalition, paying the occasional lip service that he is honouring his promise and saying nothing else – while his friends, family, and supporters shore up their power base.

This month alone we witnessed his decision to extend the concessionaire of highways and reports of him awarding his cronies a 15-year contract to supply government vehicles – as Bersatu’s MPs stay mum on the matter.

We are seeing the same patterns that gave birth to the cronyism and corruption that plagued the country. If nothing changes, we might just see another Najib Razak in the near future.

It is wise for us to bear in mind that Bersatu is just using the Pakatan Harapan coalition to further their own agenda of patronage politics, and they have yet to affirm their commitment to the reformation spirit of the other parties. It is high time that coalition parties committed to the reformation cause to keep fighting – with or without Bersatu. 

With that being said, as members of civil society, we should always be vigilant – lest we are led back to the same dark path we had to crawl out from.