YOURSAY | 'There was treachery and betrayal, suspicion and miscalculations all around.'

Day 8: Protesters show up at Sogo despite police warning

Vijay47: We can curse, castigate and condemn our enemies political or otherwise, and god knows that there are many deserving of such wrath.

But even within the hostility, a certain basic code of warfare must be maintained so that everybody maintains some semblance of decency and respectability.

The first obvious requirement would be that we should not allow our differences to degenerate into violence against our opponent’s person or property.

Much as I criticise PKR vice-president Tian Chua for his betrayal, it is shameful that he was attacked, be it by an individual or a mob. Yet in the midst of that tense ugly situation, it is comforting that there are many who went to help him.

Secondly, innocent non-combatants should not be at the receiving end of offensive or insulting even verbal attacks; this especially applies to family members who on the contrary should always be extended courtesy and protection, respect that should be equally available to Siti Hasmah as to Rosmah Mansor.

These are terrible times when passions could be riding high. We don’t want one ill-advised move that could see the nation in flames. My greatest fear now is that our rumour mills would take over and I shudder to imagine how the incident at the PKR headquarters would be presented to the rest of the country.

Anonymous_1371547149: Dr Mahathir Mohamad, you resigned as the seventh PM, you abandoned Harapan.

They came to ask you to come back and continue the rakyat’s mandate. You said no because you had a different mandate - you wanted a mandate as an emperor to rule over all.

That’s why I’m glad PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim did not support you on this. What are you now? Perhaps an emperor with no clothes.

Anonymous 770241447347646: Mahathir, why did you throw tantrums and allowed Bersatu to walk out of the Harapan coalition. You knew full well that the coalition would collapse without Bersatu.

Why blame Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Anwar? You were the puppet master and you played your part.

The only part that failed was that former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak is back and so are all those dragged through the courts. It is a matter of time when they will sit on the throne again.

Gerard Lourdesamy: This is not the time to apportion blame. There was treachery and betrayal, suspicion and miscalculations all around.

Instead Pakatan Harapan, the Mahathir faction of MPs, Warisan, Upko and other independent MPs who are supporting Mahathir as prime minister should be consolidating their position in Parliament where, by all accounts, Muhyiddin has perhaps only 109 MPs (a few short of the 112 needed for a simple majority) backing him.

It is very easy to topple him as PM through democratic means. The vote of no-confidence is one such method. So what Muhyiddin did to Harapan can also happen to him in a very short time.

Bersatu now is at the mercy of Umno. As Bersatu's numbers drop due to disagreements over the cabinet composition, Umno will exploit the situation to take over effective control of the government with PAS.

PKR should also consider taking back some of the rebel MPs who were misled by former deputy president Azmin Ali because many of them are going to be left out of the new cabinet.

If Mahathir can muster at least 120 MPs on his side, the Agong will be forced to ask Muhyiddin to resign as PM and if he does not, then the Agong can dismiss him. This has happened before in Perak and many times in Sabah.

With GPS sitting out of the cabinet and the new Perikatan Nasional coalition, Muhyiddin is literally at the mercy of the MPs in Parliament.

Apanakdikato: In the last week, we have witnessed how principles are blatantly pushed aside for personal political gain.

We have seen the full spectrum of the different types of political frogs. Some can jump high, some can jump long distances, some jump in haphazard directions, and the very agile ones can even make a U-turn in mid-air.

At the end of the day, it is the rakyat and country that become the victims because the very politicians and parties that were entrusted to bring much-needed changes to the country reneged on their promises and had the audacity to switch allegiance to the opposition block so that the leaders of the conspiracy can hold top positions in the government.

Frankly speaking, at the grassroots level, many do not feel any difference between Umno/BN and Harapan. In fact, during Harapan’s short tenure, issues on racism and religious extremism were on the rise.

Harapan politicians who used to be vocal and champions of human rights and reformation prior to taking office became docile and subservient to a PM who was obsessed with "visionary plans" instead of delivering the promises in their manifesto.

Some of the Harapan leaders have forgotten about humility and their actions and words were perceived as being arrogant, even to their own political base and community. Perhaps they were inexperienced in governing, but they did not heed the countless feedback and cries from the rakyat.

Many controversial cases like Teoh Beng Hock and pastor Raymond Koh were literally left in the cold and there was no political will from anyone in Harapan to bring closure and deliver justice.

As long as communal politics, religious extremism and corruption continue to thrive, the progress of the country will remain stagnant, and we will continue to lag far behind well-managed countries like Singapore.

The political crisis in the country will continue due to the deep political divide between Perikatan and Harapan. Perikatan is being led by a leader of the smallest party in the coalition (Bersatu), very similar to Harapan.

This by itself shows that the leadership in Perikatan is not sustainable. Perhaps Muhyiddin will come to a realisation that he is merely a pawn placed by certain parties to advance their own political ambitions.

Resilient On Our New Hope: It is a sad day for all Malaysians who want to see the country getting rid of rampant corruption among our politicians.

It is also the triumph of betrayal of the rakyat’s trust, especially by Muhyiddin and Azmin who used the name of retaining Mahathir as the PM to further their personal interests - we will not forget the harm they brought to the Reformasi movement and will use our vote to penalise them in GE15.

Meanwhile, let's ignite our fire to push for a cleaner and competitive country and keep our hope alive. Let’s reach out to everyone we can share our vision and get them on board, regardless of race and religion.

Anonymous_1583047704476.44751583047602671: I am 79. I am content with my life. I don't have money. I don't understand these people fighting for power by hook or by crook.

Live in dignity, please. After all, they believe in God or so it seems. Pity them. They know not what they do.

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