YOURSAY | “Why must these voters support you and your party again?”

COMMENT | Is Anwar better for non-Malays, Malaysia?

OrangePanther1466: Sadly, P Gunasegaram, your predictions are the same as mine, which I have made since last year.

I had then said that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim can forget about becoming prime minister again after the next general election as there are no "safe seats" for him.

Even PKR's MIA (missing in action) deputy president, Nurul Izzah Anwar, has "conceded" to the hopelessness of PKR's cause.

Sadly, the DAP has not realised that remaining as part of Pakatan Harapan will cost them dearly.

DAP needs to stand on its own under the rocket in order to rally its supporters. Yes, indeed, DAP will have to revert to its traditional role of an astute opposition.

But all is not yet lost. PAS/Umno coalition is not yet a sure thing, as there are many issues that need to be ironed out first.

I would not be surprised if Umno decides to stick with Harapan and DAP if they could nominate the prime minister and take key ministries.

PAS will not cede the premiership to Umno as they never had a prime minister from their own party before.

As for Parti Bersama Malaysia, it could play a kingmaker role depending on the number of seats it manages to obtain.

I would like to see Bersama flourish. Its leaders are all below 50 years of age. They will have many future general elections to prove themselves.

All is not lost yet. I can sense that Umno leadership is not out to do DAP bashing as in previous elections.

They need to keep the relationship cordial, and they need to tone down their grassroots "No DAP" rhetoric.

This is possibly the best chance for Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to ascend to the top post.

The East Malaysian folks will certainly support him, as they fear PAS more.

Exile: Malaysians have not yet crossed the Rubicon on race. Yet they are closer than ever to recognising that the country cannot function without both Malays and non-Malays.

That is the central proposition on which most reasonable people can agree.

What is often overlooked in this debate is that Anwar and DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke have sustained a government that initially lacked a clear parliamentary majority of its own.

Over the past three years, despite political constraints and competing interests within the coalition, they have provided the leadership that has kept the government together while recording notable successes, particularly on the economic front.

Malaysia has attracted significant investment, fiscal management has improved, and the country's international standing has strengthened.

Yet these macroeconomic gains have not translated into sufficient relief for ordinary Malaysians.

Working families of every community continue to struggle as wages fail to keep pace with the rising cost of living.

Corruption, too, remains a persistent scourge that undermines public confidence and weakens the country's institutions.

The realities of governing have also required Harapan to collaborate with Umno.

That partnership has often appeared less like a meeting of equals than a political bargain in which Umno has extracted a political price for its support.

Such compromises may have been unavoidable to ensure political stability, but they have come at a cost, both in perception and in policy.

The next political test may not be the next general election but the state elections. If not Johor, then Negeri Sembilan could offer valuable insights into whether Malaysians are prepared to move beyond politics defined primarily by race and patronage, or whether the old formulas still hold sway.

Let the people of Johor be the judge. Their verdict may well offer an early indication of the direction Malaysia is taking.

Until then, the rakyat has little choice but to press on - hoping that economic progress becomes more widely shared, corruption is confronted with greater resolve, and politics gradually rewards competence, integrity, and cooperation over communal division.

Malaysia has not yet crossed the Rubicon. But for perhaps the first time in its history, it is beginning to see that its future will be secured not by one community prevailing over another, but by Malays and non-Malays governing together in the national interest.

Salvage Malaysia: Anwar could have been a better PM for ALL Malaysians. But he wasn’t tough enough to do what’s right for Malaysia that will serve Malaysia well in the next few decades. That would have been the real reformasi.

His game plan became short-term. Basically, how can he achieve at least a two-term tenure as PM? Eventually, he pandered to be more PAS, but he couldn’t attract the support from the Malays while at the same time losing his support from the non-Malays.

He made a totally wrong move by empowering Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in Umno to secure his Malay votes. But Umno never liked to play second fiddle, even though Anwar may treat Zahid as his student.

Zahid, too, has to do his job and bring Umno back as the main government, with him possibly being the PM.

Bagavatham: The present political scenario must come to an end, in my opinion. What is truly needed is for young and vibrant people to lead the country, and I feel Bersama has that lead, which is brave and honest in its agenda, which the rakyat should seriously look at.

Now is 2026, and a change must take place; if not, we will be back to square one. Enough is enough. The rakyat should wake up.

V S: Some things never change. The PM is just a politician. He is looking for votes to stay in power.

Malaysians must sincerely make the change to create a fair, united Malaysian race for this to happen. This is what the Harapan transformation is all about.

Un: Anwar failed the voters, especially the non-Malays. He never stood up to speak for them or charge those who made racial slurs against them.

Why must these voters support you and your party again?

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