YOURSAY | ‘The next major challenge is the implementation.’

Detailing CSA deal: Here's what Harapan and govt agreed to do

Proarte: The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the government and Pakatan Harapan is a step in the right direction.

But the rakyat must adopt a "wait and see" approach because Harapan was duped by Dr Mahathir Mohamad and gang, partly because they tasted power and never had it so good.

They lost touch with the rakyat and their aspirations. They did not honour the Harapan manifesto. Mahathir, soon after being elected, even scoffed at the manifesto, saying in effect it was an election ploy to win votes and the promises made were unrealistic.

It was so clear that Harapan was being undermined and the hopes for a new paradigm of good governance, racial equality, freedom of religion, environmental protection was deliberately being dashed by Mahathir.

He openly insulted PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, saying he and PKR did not have the support of the Malays, and the DAP with words "I don’t like DAP", even when he was their prime minister.

Mahathir reneged on the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd) and refused to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which wants to criminalise regimes for committing genocide thus putting Malaysia undeservedly in the international rogues gallery of regimes who practise discrimination and who condone genocide.

A whole host of other controversies popped up suspiciously under Harapan's short tenure - the Hindu temple raid by a mob of gangsters and the likely accidental death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, which was racialised.

Who can forget the Malay Dignity Congress which saw Mahathir the keynote speaker, the Malay elites and intellectuals spewing racist insults and supremacist ideas? Non-Malays were not so subtlety blamed for the apparent loss of Malay 'dignity'.

The Lynas betrayal was another letdown by Mahathir. He allowed the notion to fester that the DAP (read: the Chinese) was 'controlling' him.

All of the above was to undermine Harapan and the new paradigm outlined in the manifesto, as well as to make sure Anwar did not become prime minister. Well, in a big way, the Harapan parties are to blame for the collapse. They were tacit accomplices by not keeping Mahathir in check.

I am pleased that Pejuang and Warisan have been sidelined by Harapan. 'My enemy's enemy is my friend', which DAP and PKR fell for, has proven to be a disaster for Harapan.

Malaysia needs a principled and united political leadership. Currently, there is a lack of fire in the belly of the opposition. The attitude seems to be 'if you can’t beat them, join them'.

The younger generation needs to direct the political discourse in our country. Perhaps they might get us out of the self-destructive rut we are in.

MS: That's quite a litany @Proarte, and a timely reminder of the many transgressions committed under Harapan, fatally compromised by the malignancy of Mahathir at its core.

By getting into bed again with the same ‘ketuanan’ clan which directly benefited from Mahathir's machinations, this unreformed Harapan, which learned nothing from its recent humiliating past, is demonstrating it really stands for nothing.

It is apparent that no ideological difference separates it from those who wielded race and religion to dislodge it from its perch in Putrajaya.

Interestingly, something telling happened while this MOU hoopla was underway in that grand hall in Parliament.

To ensure that these dullards get the message that they are nothing but Pak Turut, the police commemorated the signing by announcing a fine of RM3,000 for every one of those "leaders" who had gathered to enter Parliament in early August.

One would have thought that first and foremost requirement for any kind of "understanding" on "transformation" is for the present government to distance itself publicly and actively from the ‘ketuanan’ supremacist ideology which it used as a crowbar to dislodge the last elected government.

The fact that Anwar and his friends in the DAP and Amanah did not demand any such thing shows they really do not mind being seen as appeasers and compromisers so long as it appears they are doing something.

Clearly, there were no lessons learnt following the disastrous 22 months when they were outplayed at every turn. So yes, we have to simply wait and see in how many more ways these political inept (ostensibly working for the rakyat) will be humiliated.

Bruclax: The MOU is a good start to help put the country on the road to recovery. Considering all that is taking place, this indeed is good news.

As in the case of many committees, the next major challenge is the implementation. This is the hard part. A very wise person once told me that if you want to delay any project or decision from being implemented, just form a committee. Let this not be the case.

Time is of the essence here as much must be accomplished in less than 18 months. Another critical requirement is the committee members. Within the cabinet, we will be scratching the bottom of the pot for capable candidates, but I am sure with the right effort, capable and competent persons can be sourced.

One opportunity missed - and one that is of grave concern to the rakyat - is an undertaking by the government not to appoint convicted criminals to any post in the government, be it on an executive position or on an advisory basis.

No government in its right mind will appoint a fox to oversee the chicken coup. It is pointless to have a committee trying to bring development to the country whilst the kleptocrats are bleeding the country.

Freethinker: I agree. It's a noble initiative to ensure a stable government and keep the ‘court cluster’ in check if they try to destabilise the government again.

Having said that, the MOU is not legally binding, and the reformation listed may not get to see the light of day next year when the GE is expected to be called in the second half of 2022 (but it’s still better than nothing huh?).

Certainly, we will not be holding our breath for a party like Umno to honour the deal and we should expect delay tactics and the blame game coming into play in early 2022.

Iphonezours: Indeed, this is a good start for Harapan as what they have championed for during their administration is now in this MOU. Even during Harapan times, this could not be implemented due to resistance from a certain party within Harapan.

This is an achievement for Harapan and the sitting government to work together to resolve the many issues plaguing this country.

There may be negative feedback and even resistance/comments from other opposition parties, but one needs to understand that you cannot please all. After all, the other opposition parties were never sincere in their support of Harapan/Anwar.

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