Anwar Ibrahim needs to rein in his PKR lawmakers who seem to be at loggerheads among themselves if he wants his party to be a leading player in the opposition front once the next general election is announced.
The outspoken MP for Bandar Kulim, Zulkfili Noordin - who seems to have the support of several MPs from his party - is a thorn in the flesh for the party with his antics. This MP should have been disciplined by the party for his unwarranted remarks which have hurt the feelings of non-Malay voters who supported the party during the last polls.
Sack him from the party if you must to regain public support as people like him and Hassan Ali of PAS seem to think that they are only responsible for their own community and the rest can be discarded. Show them the door before they create more mischief which can erode public support.
Match your words with deeds and remove all the problematic MPs and state assembly persons who do not want to be a team players and tend to act independently from the party. Better to remove them now than wait for the next elections as these ‘Trojan horses’ are a liability to the party.
They think that they are indispensable and were elected to the august house due on their own individual merit rather than being PKR candidates during the last general election.
How can PKR and their PAS and DAP partners rule the country if the party is in disarray and they cannot keep their houses in order? Running a party and running a country efficiently are two different things and voters might have second thought about giving a mandate to the opposition’s fronts at the next polls if their party members seem to be at loggerheads even among themselves.
Pakatan Rakyat should strike while the iron is hot and should not squabble and wash dirty linen in public if they want the voters to take them seriously as an alternative front to replace the old and tired BN which is enmeshed in corruption and abuse of power.
Malaysians are ready for change but if the opposition front cannot get their act together, the voters will get fed up and would rather vote for the incumbent government rather taking a risk in electing new people who do not have the necessary experience in running the federal government.
After more than a year, Pakatan Rakyat politicians have failed to fulfill their promises for a better Malaysia but the good part is the states which they govern have more transparency and accountability compared to the previous state government.
One of the main reasons why the BN government was booted out from several state seats as well as failing to retain their two-thirds majority in Parliament was because they took the voters for granted and were arrogant when they held power.
While one can appreciate that changes in our political landscapes towards a two-coalition system evolving are being hindered due to the ruling party’s hegemony of the country for the past 52 years, changes will occur if the people have the will and demand for changes.
If the Berlin wall can fall with the demise of the communist system more than two decades ago, I am sure the wall which BN had built to remain in office since 1957 can fall also if the voters kick out the old and tired faces that have plundered government assets with impunity.
The main question is whether Pakatan Rakyat has got what it takes to be a better coalition to run the government when the next elections are held. With all the problems surrounding the parties in the oppositions front and inaction by their leaders to sack renegade party members, there is just no confidence in the rakyat that they will capture Putrajaya.
Other leaders in Third World countries have had to face hardships before they achieved their dream of becoming top leaders in their respective nations so Malaysian opposition leaders will be no exception.
Good and clean leaders who command the support of the majority are rare in this country.Where are the likes of Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi among our local political leaders? They who command respect for their strong leadership skills which can make a huge difference in our political landscape?
Sadly, there are none and Malaysians will have to live with second-rate politicians from both sides of the house to lead our nation. What choice do we have?