Mahathir and the grand coalition
COMMENT | Recently, some quarters have accused Pakatan Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad of being the root of all problems that the coalition is facing.
While he is no saint, it would not be accurate to label him as an obstacle to the reform agenda.
The historic decision for the former opposition parties to collaborate with Mahathir was done based on the following considerations.
First: The Mahathir swing factor
With former premier Najib Abdul Razak and PAS colluding to create three-cornered fights that would most likely benefit BN, it would have been impossible for Harapan to win federal power in GE14 without forming an alliance with Mahathir and Bersatu.
Back in March 2014, Najib had started to lure PAS into Umno’s fold. In February 2015, Anwar Ibrahim was imprisoned and shortly after that, former PAS president Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat died.
In June that year, the PAS conservative wing called for a total rejection of progressives, and party members split after its muktamar (general assembly).
Those remaining in PAS cooperated with Najib, whose scheme was mainly based on the presumption that those who voted against him would vote for PAS instead of Harapan, and after winning the elections, Umno and PAS would come together to form a ruling bloc.
Najib thought he could still win big even though he was embroiled in probably one of the biggest corruption scandals in history.
It is undeniable that the change in government that happened on May 9 last year was catalysed by the dissatisfaction against Najib.
However, it was the historic collaboration between Mahathir and Anwar, and Bersatu joining forces with the remaining Harapan component parties, swinging 15-20 percent of Malay votes in the west coast that finally allowed Harapan to overcome Najib’s ‘three-cornered’ strategy and wrest power from BN.
Second: The Mahathir-Anwar government
The decision for DAP, PKR and Amanah to form an alliance with Bersatu was only achieved after prolonged deliberations and negotiations. Significant milestones for the coalition include:
- The existing Harapan component parties signed an MoU with Bersatu on Dec 13, 2016.
- Mahathir and other Bersatu leaders joined the Harapan presidential council on March 27, 2017, signifying that Bersatu had officially become the fourth member of Harapan.
- The momentous announcement of Mahathir as the chairperson, then PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the president, and Anwar as the de facto leader of the coalition on July 24, 2017.
- The naming of Mahathir as the prime minister-designate, Wan Azizah as his deputy and Anwar as the eighth prime minister on Jan 7, 2018.
Since Day 1, it was clear to Mahathir and the other Bersatu leaders that it would not be possible to topple Najib’s government without first becoming allies with Harapan.
The decision to join the coalition signified that Mahathir and Bersatu agreed that the new Harapan government is a Mahathir-Anwar government.
Without either Mahathir/Bersatu or the tripartite Harapan coalition led by Anwar, Najib would continue to roam freely and cling on to power.
Mahathir understands that this is a Mahathir-Anwar government as much as Anwar understands that this is a Anwar-Mahathir government.
Thirdly: The historic collaboration between Bersatu and DAP
On March 4, 2016, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang accepted Mahathir’s invitation to attend the meeting on Citizens’ Declaration (Deklarasi Rakyat) and this marked the start of a grand coalition between DAP and Mahathir.
A ‘grand coalition’ refers to a arrangement in which two unrelated or even opposing forces unite in the face of a mutual enemy or a common goal.
It is not easy for two previously opposing forces to come together and this process requires countless negotiations and discussions.
A grand coalition like this will be able to surmount problems that used to seem unsolvable, as long as it maintains a mechanism of collaboration and engagement, and mutual respect.
The collaboration between DAP and Bersatu requires us to let go of mutual suspicion and admit that differences do exist between us.
Having said that, armed with the ability to lead our respective supporters and to drive the direction of nation-building, we will be able to work hand-in-hand to create a whole new political landscape.
A clear understanding of the above points will allow us to progress towards achieving the dream of reforming Malaysia, one step at a time.
LIEW CHIN TONG is a DAP senator and deputy defence minister.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
Malaysians are well aware of the reason for formation of the coalition, and course Malaysians want to believe that the Mahathir -Anwar transition will still happen. But the fear is the past does not define the future. The future is for us to make and fight for. Also, the facts speak for themselves. If it is intended that Bersatu has carte blanche over decision to accept defactors from UMNO, why was it so hard to state such a policy at the outset? The simple answer is no one saw this coming, which raises the question if we should expect some other surprises in the future, like Bersatu working with PAS, or cobbling together another coalition perhaps. We expected maybe there will be election petition, by-election, and a fair contest. We did not expect massive cross overs. Next, if the policy has been clear that there would be a smooth transition, why hasn't there been a cast on stone date for the transition? If the transition is clear, why would Tun make statements like "I've agreed with Anwar, but ultimately it is the rakyat that chooses"? Did he imply he will stay the full 5 years as his party colleagues want him to (nevermind they are quite self-serving expecting him to be PM at the age of 97)? If Anwar is the de facto leader of the coalition, shouldn't he have a bigger say than Tun? It's very nice to say he wants to give Tun a free rein, but that's only true if Tun's free rein is consistent with Pakatan Harapan objectives and manifesto. So far, Tun has upended some manifesto promises saying he never expected to win and therefore carry them out in the first place! Does Anwar agree to such an assertion? If not and he keeps silent, does that show leadership? Chin Tong is a good strategist against BN. I'm not sure if his crystal ball gazing is all that accurate because politics today is far more complicated than before GE14. I think some intellectual honesty is in great order. If within Harapan, there is actually schisms - be it Anwar as successor, or should it be Azmin Ali instead, or Mukhriz, or Muhyddin, it is time the coalition do Malaysians and foreigners a big favour and thrash it out. Harapan policies are in disarray not because we don't have competent ministers (largely speaking) but because of power play, and maybe even personal interest. For example, our science and environmental minister says we should not be a plastic rubbish dump. But our housing minister says there is no moratorium because they are big business - we are only cleaning up illegal ones. Why can't there be policy? Why can't there be compromise like imposing a quota? Harapan hasn't abolished any law or enacted any new ones since the Anti Fake News Act. But the public expects accounting of progress. At least tell us you have progressed until voting stage. You can shelve it until you get a Senate majority in about 1 1/4 year's time. Instead, our many reform aspirations are parked under "Work in progress". It's 8 months now. What I'm illustrating is there is no will power to move in a uniform manner. And that is owing to intra-party jostling for power. The truth is, if that is already happening, and the reason is because people are beginning to see Tun as a lame duck PM, then it is time for transition. What's retiring a few months earlier when it is unlikely 1MDB is going to be wrapped up in a year or 2, and the anti-corruption drive is a marathon. It's time for Anwar to ascend, so that we know if he is true to his words because all these time, he's just saying them - things like needs based wealth distribution - and not acted on them. It's time we move to our new PM and see what miracles he can actually perform. Look at this another way. If he only has 3 years left, he may not be able to do as much as he needs. It will also be too short a time for Malaysians to judge his performance. And why should it be the case for Tun to clean up and for Anwar to "take us forward"? If he is truly a leader, he can do both. The transition will also allow the next line of leadership to surface and be tested. Holding on to Tun, or Tun holding on, is increasingly becoming a disservice to the nation. For his sake, we should let him retire in peace.
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