Appearing dormant does not mean we have given up
COMMENT “Tell me, what is your preference? An opposition that is truly united or one that fakes it out just for the sake of the general election?”
In my article yesterday, I shared my own outlook of the coming general election and said that hope is not lost. Appearing dormant does not mean that we have given up, but only shows the need for the politicians to draw up new strategies to reach those who are still on the fence.
That question which I asked a friend of mine struck a chord. He immediately replied: “A true united front, but is that possible?” Apparently, like many other doubting Thomases, he was still sitting on the fence.
According to him, both PAS and Bersatu make the equation more difficult to accept. During the late Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat’s time, PAS had a clear stand that it would have nothing to do with Umno and hudud was not its priority.
PAS was more balanced when it had leaders in the likes of Mohamad Sabu who is fondly known as Mat Sabu, Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa, Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, Khalid Samad and SaariSungrib. Now, what is left of PAS are the ulama who are aligned to its president, Abdul HadiAwang.
Cooperation with PAS?
Today, PAS appears to be going to bed with Umno over the amendments to Act 355, which some believe will pave the way for the implementation of hudud laws in Malaysia.
PAS needs Umno’s support to achieve its objectives, while Umno and Barisan Nasional need the support of PAS’ grassroots in seats with a non-Muslim majority.
There is a 50-50 chance that PAS and Umno may negotiate for a one-to-one fight against Pakatan Harapan. This is because Umno knows that the Malays are now divided between Harapan, PAS and Umno.
However, the BN has failed to realise that Umno’s push for the amendments to Act 355 is already disappointing the East Malaysian voters.
The electoral roll in both states are quite different from West Malaysia, where voters have already made up their minds since 2008 for whom they will vote.
The current push for the Act 355 amendments, and the non-Muslim BN members of Parliament now giving in to the whims and fancies of PAS, is already disillusioning the East Malaysian voters. In West Malaysia, it is already backfiring, with a number of groups including a multiracial G25 saying that the bill is divisive.
MCA recently made a most unforgiveable statement when its secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan said that it would not interfere in issues related to Islam, including the Act 355 amendments.
BN leaders appear to have forgotten that the majority of the voters in East Malaysia, especially Sarawakians, are Christians. They are quite different even from many of us in West Malaysia.
They may not turn out at Bersih events, but the big turnout of 2,000 people in Sibu during the candlelight vigil to stand in solidarity with West Malaysian pastor Raymond Koh showed that they would rather vote according to religious lines. The vigil showed that in both East and West, there is a greater sense of unity now than before.
Even though hudud may appear to be remote from them, it has already become the subject of many discussions over there. People are asking why Umno is more interested in Act 355 now, while the other federal non-Muslim component parties in BN are not willing to oppose the bill.
One Malaysiakini reader, Drngsc asked: “Please MCA secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan, stop speaking with a forked tongue. Will MCA be objecting to amendments to Act 355 - yes or no? What does, ‘MCA has no plan whatsoever to interfere in issues relating to Islam, including the proposed amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355)’ mean?”
So the question is asked, will Pakatan Harapan be able to take PAS into its framework? My answer is “Yes” and “No.” Yes, because PAS can still be in the same pact with Harapan to oust BN from Putrajaya, but it will simply not be joining Harapan the way it did during Nik Aziz’s time.
If what Kelantan state Umno leader Mustapa Mohamed said holds water, both Umno and PAS in Kelantan will still remain as rivals, even though at federal level they are cooperating to push for the Hadi bill.
There is a likelihood that without the support of the non-Muslims and Amanah supporters, PAS may not be able to defend Kelatan in the coming general election...
COMMENT “Tell me, what is your preference? An opposition that is truly united or one that fakes it out just for the sake of the general election?”
In my article yesterday, I shared my own outlook of the coming general election and said that hope is not lost. Appearing dormant does not mean that we have given up, but only shows the need for the politicians to draw up new strategies to reach those who are still on the fence.
That question which I asked a friend of mine struck a chord. He immediately replied: “A true united front, but is that possible?” Apparently, like many other doubting Thomases, he was still sitting on the fence.
According to him, both PAS and Bersatu make the equation more difficult to accept. During the late Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat’s time, PAS had a clear stand that it would have nothing to do with Umno and hudud was not its priority.
PAS was more balanced when it had leaders in the likes of Mohamad Sabu who is fondly known as Mat Sabu, Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa, Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, Khalid Samad and SaariSungrib. Now, what is left of PAS are the ulama who are aligned to its president, Abdul HadiAwang.
Cooperation with PAS?
Today, PAS appears to be going to bed with Umno over the amendments to Act 355, which some believe will pave the way for the implementation of hudud laws in Malaysia.
PAS needs Umno’s support to achieve its objectives, while Umno and Barisan Nasional need the support of PAS’ grassroots in seats with a non-Muslim majority.
There is a 50-50 chance that PAS and Umno may negotiate for a one-to-one fight against Pakatan Harapan. This is because Umno knows that the Malays are now divided between Harapan, PAS and Umno.
However, the BN has failed to realise that Umno’s push for the amendments to Act 355 is already disappointing the East Malaysian voters.
The electoral roll in both states are quite different from West Malaysia, where voters have already made up their minds since 2008 for whom they will vote.
The current push for the Act 355 amendments, and the non-Muslim BN members of Parliament now giving in to the whims and fancies of PAS, is already disillusioning the East Malaysian voters. In West Malaysia, it is already backfiring, with a number of groups including a multiracial G25 saying that the bill is divisive.
MCA recently made a most unforgiveable statement when its secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan said that it would not interfere in issues related to Islam, including the Act 355 amendments.
BN leaders appear to have forgotten that the majority of the voters in East Malaysia, especially Sarawakians, are Christians. They are quite different even from many of us in West Malaysia.
They may not turn out at Bersih events, but the big turnout of 2,000 people in Sibu during the candlelight vigil to stand in solidarity with West Malaysian pastor Raymond Koh showed that they would rather vote according to religious lines. The vigil showed that in both East and West, there is a greater sense of unity now than before.
Even though hudud may appear to be remote from them, it has already become the subject of many discussions over there. People are asking why Umno is more interested in Act 355 now, while the other federal non-Muslim component parties in BN are not willing to oppose the bill.
One Malaysiakini reader, Drngsc asked: “Please MCA secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan, stop speaking with a forked tongue. Will MCA be objecting to amendments to Act 355 - yes or no? What does, ‘MCA has no plan whatsoever to interfere in issues relating to Islam, including the proposed amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355)’ mean?”
So the question is asked, will Pakatan Harapan be able to take PAS into its framework? My answer is “Yes” and “No.” Yes, because PAS can still be in the same pact with Harapan to oust BN from Putrajaya, but it will simply not be joining Harapan the way it did during Nik Aziz’s time.
If what Kelantan state Umno leader Mustapa Mohamed said holds water, both Umno and PAS in Kelantan will still remain as rivals, even though at federal level they are cooperating to push for the Hadi bill.
There is a likelihood that without the support of the non-Muslims and Amanah supporters, PAS may not be able to defend Kelatan in the coming general election.
What about Bersatu?
The next question is - what about Bersatu? How is it possible that Harapan can work with Bersatu, whose adviser is none other than former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad?
Dr Mahathir’s main objective is to remove Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak after the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal broke out. On this, Harapan is more than happy to cooperate with Dr Mahathir.
However, Dr Mahathir has not said anything about the reforms that are necessary to bring Malaysia to the next level. At the back of everyone’s mind is, would Bersatu betray Harapan, after Harapan has come to power and Najib has been removed?
Would Bersatu leaders return to its fold, as Umno can still a power base for its former leaders? Would it be easier for Bersatu leaders to dissolve the party and its members return to Umno?
Whatever it is, Dr Mahathir should accept Bersatu’s current position. It is neither here nor there. It depends a lot on Harapan’s support if it wants to even win one seat.
As much as we the rakyat are happy with Dr Mahathir leading the charge against his nemesis, if Harapan were to give up its seats to Bersatu to contest, it may end up having not the slightest chance to remove Najib.
The best form of cooperation between Harapan and Bersatu is a common framework to remove BN through the ballot box in the next general election. Once that is done, Dr Mahathir’s objective can be achieved, and the leaders in Bersatu who helped to reach the rural Malays will be rewarded accordingly, even if they do not hold any parliamentary seats.
How should we vote?
The questions asked now is, “How then should we vote? What is there is a three-cornered fight?”
I do not know about you, but I would vote for anything that represents hope for a new coalition that is capable to take over Putrajaya.
Supposing there is a three-cornered fight between Amanah, PAS and Umno, I would vote for Amanah. If there is only Bersatu and Umno, I would vote for Bersatu.
What happens if PAS decides to join Pakatan Harapan on the same working relationship as Harapan with Bersatu? In a constituency where PAS is contesting against Umno, I would still vote for PAS.
The reason is because at the end of the day the equation must work out for the good of the nation. We need a democracy where there are checks-and-balances. It is the people who must be the third force now or never.
STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
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