COMMENT | To those who contend there is an ideological void in Malaysian politics, recent pronouncements by major politicians served up on a silver salver are examples of that void and how it makes them look vacant, if not silly.

Selangor DAP state assemblyperson Ronnie Liu is not a prime player in the national political arena, but he does stand up from time to time to vent the unease of sections of the party's supporters over directions its national leadership is taking.

In recent times, he has shown boldness in voicing the distress felt by DAP supporters against the unseemly quiescence of its national leadership over the gyrations of Dr Mahathir Mohamed.

Contortions by the Pakatan Harapan prime ministerial leader, particularly in a torrid spell between June and November 2019, when the khat issue flared amidst inflammatory statements by Zakir Naik; and exacerbated by sectarian rhetoric at the Malay Dignity Congress; topped off by the detention of the LTTE 12, had DAP and, by extension, Harapan supporters wondering what in tarnation was going under the watch of a Harapan government.

And why was the DAP, amid these eruptions, rather quiet?

That's when a politician of Liu's instincts is valuable. He did not keep quiet but sounded off to say that things were not right...