MARCH 20 — It’s said, to judge a man’s temperament, hand him power. There’s also the converse. Take power away from a man, and you can judge his capacity. Imagination, endeavour or both.
Two years since Perikatan Nasional (PN) lost power, the gang of two parties has been washed to sea by the looks of it. The South China Seas are a different hue of blue and salty.
PN has to show up or risk a terminal slide.
Granted, a parliamentary system of government has multitudes to isolate the Opposition.
The Unity Government taunts PN.
There are corruption investigations and court cases. Federal authorities in an overly centralised federal government hover over them. PAS and Bersatu MPs can hardly squeal when they resurface to gasp for air, in what appears a long-drawn drowning.
Then they complain about the lack of resources to serve constituents.
I agree. It is grim.
It is not a fair race when government MPs start with more and ready access to the federal government, while PN MPs look in from outside.
Survivors
But that was the life for Pakatan Harapan parties for ages. After defeats in GE1999 and GE2004, PKR struggled.
GE2013 was close, but no banana. The popular vote without the MP count means little.
The Sheraton Move cut short GE2018’s victory, for Pakatan reassuming the Opposition bench after a short stint must have hurt badly.
I emphasised PKR since DAP are veterans of not being in power. They suffered political isolation for three good decades before PKR was registered.
Those parties went from one rundown headquarters to another and employed the bare minimum to keep going. In GE2004, of the nearly 700 contests, PKR won one. 0.14 per cent, mathematically insignificant. Gerakan people can relate to this still.
To say it was a miserable result is to overstate the word. Decimated, 296 votes away from oblivion.
Even those who care not for politics could sense the depression walking past PKR’s headquarters in the mid-2000s.
So, PN has an example to follow. And feel encouraged.
Almost two years ago, this column pointed out that PN was trying to anger itself to electoral victory heading to the six state elections. It made inroads but ultimately it was status quo. Worse, Pakatan somehow crafted a permanent arrangement with Barisan Nasional (BN).
The terms agreed to in 2023 remain intact in 2025.
In politics, there is only going up or down, there is no steady stability.
As Pakatan and BN forge an illogical formation, PN sticks to anger. The by-election results so far speak volumes. PAS retains its allure in its heartland but Bersatu’s stock slides and uncertainty looms.
The no-strategy policy strategy
When the Parliamentary Services Bill was passed a fortnight ago, the votes were 148 in favour, 57 abstaining and 17 absent. PN abstained or did not show up, including alleged defectors.
The Unity Government exhibited a two-third control of the house.
This week because they are programmed to reject anything said by Pakatan parties, they — PAS MPs mostly — vehemently opposed DAP asking for a 10-year limit for prime ministers.
PAS seems to misunderstand that the proposal actually works for them. If tabled, PM Anwar Ibrahim may be forced to give way in 2032 even if his coalition wins.
Anwar is the one MP in the entire government who almost neutralises PAS on religion. No Anwar actually ups PN’s chances in the current climate.
Instead, they oppose a proposal that ultimately benefits them because it is DAP’s proposal.
It almost advertises their short-termism.
PN better cough out some ideas pronto because they’ve redeemed all their anger coupons since GE2022. Anger in 2023, half a year after a “robbed” election sounded game on.
Now, firmly in the third year of the Unity Government, the anger starts to taste bitter and their opponents begin to accrue the benefits of incumbency. Voters can get used to a party in charge.
But there is worse news.
Functioning PN, discard the rogue MPs, is two-thirds PAS.
Bersatu was expected to be the party with policy sense. Muhyiddin Yassin, prime minister for one year but minister and mentri besar for over 30 years, along with Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan co-founded the IDEAS think tank, and Machang MP cum jargon expert youth leader Wan Fayhsal Wan Ahmad to provide the policy heft.
Unfortunately, it cannot. Bersatu is in a twist and stares wistfully to the recent past for comfort.
To ask PAS to think of worldly affairs is a challenge and a half. They are obviously experts about celestial matters.
However, they generally abhor policies — and fractions. The reason why they parade Terengganu Mentri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar everywhere, he is the closest thing to a modern world technocrat in their stable. The former aerospace engineer is manna for them.
As eager as Samsuri is, and the impressive levels of transparency and accountability in running the state, productivity determines more.
Terengganu is no step closer to present economic viability options and the conservative outlook of PAS does not endear the state to investors.
There is no vibrance, and rather than leveraging on having some of the best natural islands in the world, its own voters spend their tourist ringgit in southern Thailand. It cannot even rid their own resort islands’ rubbish.
This before the existentialist threat of climate change and floods which only increase by the year. There is no serious leadership among PAS’ key men.
PAS is unlikely to offer the structural integrity to PN, and a distracted Bersatu risks ending their 2022 resurgence.
A judging population, self-interested population
There are those who say when it comes to voting day, all of PN’s shortcomings will dissipate and the only question in the minds of Muslim Malaysians is the relative value of faith.
It’s the fasting month and I am not one to speak about religion, so people can wager as they like on the outcome.
Yet to reduce voters to demographical abstractions is akin to putting all the chips on a single roulette wheel pick.
It is true younger voters are smitten more by principles than practicalities, and faith through PAS is thick with valued principles.
However, youths are synonymous with low turnouts and the above 30 voters see the bills in their inboxes and prioritise the economy.
The Unity Government led by Pakatan has holes in its economic and development plans. But they have plans. In a choice between the righteous and those with poor plans, it is not a competition.
A Perikatan Nasional flag is seen is Taman Medan, Petaling Jaya. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin
Schools must open, hospitals must resuscitate and the national pension systems require restructures.
But if all of that is too complicated, look out, it’s threatening to rain again.
The water is literally rising around us.
PN can only wade through the quagmire to an extent selling hate and dissatisfaction. Most Malaysians cannot swim, the water level upsets them. When they see the water at chest-level, they would rather a leaky boat than words from the devout.
A lot of the voters like to be alive in this world. PN are free to quote that in their next powwow, on dry land preferably.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
