LETTER | The "I'd rather not be MB than govern with the DAP" stance taken by caretaker Johor menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi ostensibly on a matter of principle, would be laudable if not for Umno’s decision “tango” with the DAP in the coalition government post the 15th general election.

Having performed pathetically in GE15, and with one foot in the political wilderness, they grabbed the lifeline thrown their way in the form of the coalition government, despite it meant collaborating with their avowed foe, the DAP.

The Umno fellows also took a sizeable share of cabinet positions, including the plum job of deputy prime minister. They did that to stay visible.

And the zillion-ringgit question is, where were Umno’s principles when they decided to cuddle up with the DAP then?

One ought to be reminded of the words of the late DAP stalwart Karpal Singh - "There are no permanent friends or permanent enemies, but there must be permanent principles”.

Obviously, the BN coalition ignored the "permanent principles" part in preference to the "no permanent enemies" dictum, at least to serve their immediate need to stay politically relevant post GE15.

Having been in cohorts with the DAP since 2022 at the federal government, it would seem that Onn is emboldened by the existing BN numerical superiority in the state legislature to show his contempt for the DAP!

Riding on the wave of voter discontentment with the Pakatan Harapan and probably on the prediction that Umno would garner a massive majority in Johor, they have the luxury of thumping their nose at the DAP, who, ironically, are their partners in the federal government!

DAP’s folly

While the Umno posse engineered its political salvation by consenting to co-exist with the DAP, the latter ought to stand culpable of negating its consistently declared position not to be associated with Umno.

Though it will be argued that it was a necessity for political stability at the material time, the DAP, essentially, bent its core values when it started to work hand-in-glove with its adversary.

As a caveat, it has to be stated that, until the recent developments in Negeri Sembilan and Johor, the collaboration within the coalition government appeared unruffled at least on the surface.

But now the true characteristics of the "no permanent friends" cliche appear to surface! And it may well be as a result of factors such as the ever-growing unhappiness with the Harapan government amongst the minority ethnic segment and youths, the disastrous election performance of the DAP and PKR in Sabah, and the deepening political divide among the Malay electorate.

Considering the prevailing political environment, the BN leadership may have surmised that it would be worth a leap of faith to go on its own.

It may even have occurred to them that, unlike the post GE15 association with the DAP, it cannot risk the ire of both its own grassroots and the Malay voters at large, if it is seen to be in partnership with the DAP.

But say what you want, the inevitable fact remains that Umno is a creature of political survival, apt at buttering the right side of the bread as the circumstances warrant.

And for the DAP to have even harboured the notion that Umno had changed its stripes was a no-brainer from the onset!

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.