YOURSAY | ‘Most politicians are not programmed to think outside the box.’
Harapan needs to keep options open - Kian Ming
Cheong Sai Fah: DAP’s Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming was thinking unemotionally and going against the grain by suggesting Pakatan Harapan work with then prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government.
That was difficult to do then. I admire his courage to propose the unthinkable. He paid the price and took it graciously. This country needs politicians like him.
Please don't give up politics, Ong. I am sure DAP will afford you another chance to contribute.
While it was still possible for Muhyiddin to be treacherous again, if he needed Harapan's backing to remain as prime minister, it would have been less likely.
Don't forget that Muhyiddin did not want to interfere with the court cluster’s cases. Wasn't jailing the kleptocrats one of Harapan’s main objectives?
The Harapan leadership needs to admit its mistakes and devise a new big tent strategy with the right parties.
Unspin: Most politicians are not programmed to think outside the box. Their DNA is to fish for votes so that they can remain in power.
For instance, you cannot blame the politicians, especially those from PKR, for refusing Muhyiddin's offer of cooperation.
They were afraid that if they were to work with former PKR deputy president Azmin Ali and the gang who had betrayed them, there would be a backlash from their voters.
Moving forward, Harapan should try to support Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his Umno allies to remain in power for a little longer until the conclusion of the court cluster’s cases.
Come to think of it, if those in the court cluster are behind bars, it is probably alright for Harapan to team up with the moderate Umno leaders to form a supermajority so that we can move our country forward.
Fair Play: Ong, I think you are rather naive. Trusting Muhyiddin is akin to trusting the fox to guard the chicken coop.
It looks like both you and DAP’s Damansara MP Tony Pua are idealists, not realists when it comes to gutter politics.
Anonymous_15897060865429524: @Fair Play, Ong is not asking Harapan to trust Muhyiddin. Just to use him to fulfil certain reforms. Just as Muhyiddin would have used them to cling on to power. It would be mutual.
Betul Malu Bukan Maluapa: Ong is right with his reasoning that a split opposition, as shown in the Malacca and Johor state elections, favours the “bribery party” with its loyal “cash is king” follower base.
As much as the medicine might taste bitter, especially in working with Bersatu to prevent the return of the Umno court cluster, Harapan needs to keep an open mind about working with other parties.
However, they must not include PAS. Pejuang, Warisan, and Muda should be included in the big tent but Harapan leaders should no longer give Pejuang chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad a free hand to do as he pleases.
Constitutional Supremacy: Ong has made some valid points. Most commenters here have been crying for Umno’s court cluster group to be kept out of government.
How to keep them out if Harapan is not allowed to cooperate with other parties? They cannot have the cake and eat it too.
IndigoJaguar7545: Ong wanted to betray the people’s mandate and further destroy the turnout of Harapan voters for the tiny chance that Bersatu would be more interested to work with Harapan than with BN and PAS.
Was it worth it? You have the memorandum of understanding agreement (MOU) now. Even this has failed. I don’t think Ong has been vindicated.
1. Do you think Bersatu would have passed an anti-hopping law? The current Umno-led government cannot pass it when it is in their interest to do so as many of their lawmakers hopped to bolster Bersatu’s ranks.
2. Do you think Bersatu would have willingly implemented the Undi18 law? It was a court order that ensure the implementation of Undi18.
3. Do you think former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak wouldn’t have had his cases dropped during Bersatu’s government? Former Sabah chief minister Musa Aman had his dropped during Bersatu’s time. He was one of the biggest fishes, on par with Najib.
The MOU’s failure today proves the rakyat were right. BN, Perikatan Nasional, etc, are all insincere liars from day one and anyone negotiating with them, Anwar Ibrahim, Ong, Pua, Mahathir, etc, are fools.
If Bersatu was ever as sincere as you believed, then they should leave the Umno government now and become independent.
PW Cheng: Back in the day when Muhyiddin was sacked by Najib, what did he do after Harapan nursed his wounds and got him back on his feet again? What makes Ong think Muhyiddin will not repeat the same again, maybe with a different storyline this time?
When Harapan was in power, he was busy scheming to topple his own government with Azmin and gang. DAP and the rest were busy merrymaking with Anwar as the centre of attraction, oblivious to the enemy working within.
This was grand-scale treachery. It was all done to satisfy Muhyiddin’s thirst for power and his dogmatic beliefs of race and religion. He should rightly be demolished instead of giving him another lifeline.
While politicians can be from the world’s top universities, they sometimes lack intuition and, sorry to say, can be naive.
Attackedbymonkeys: @PW Cheng, they are not naive. This is called political pragmatism. Comments such as these are why Harapan will forever be outwitted by the cunning Umno.
If Harapan had accepted Muhyiddin’s olive branch, it would have pushed Najib and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi back to the drawing board.
It was only after the fall of PN that you see the court cluster having a field day.
