“Liew Chin Tong, stop obsessing over big tent and move on”
By G Vinod
YESTERDAY, Johor DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong posted a long-winded commentary on his Facebook, raising alarm on UMNO’s “court cluster” making a grand comeback if Pakatan Harapan does not do anything.
One can read his opinion piece on this portal but to summarise what Liew was saying, he urged the people not to fall for the “court cluster” narrative as their comeback is inevitable and Pakatan should be magnanimous enough to engage with anyone who are against Barisan Nasional (BN) in retaking Putrajaya.
To my understanding, I guess Liew is urging everyone to go with the “big tent” formula and consider working with Perikatan Nasional (Perikatan).
Admittedly, I have a lot of respect for Liew but given the series of political miscalculations he had made since 2018, I would suggest for the former deputy defence minister to do some soul-searching on where his soul went after the 2018 General Election victory.
First up, Liew and the “big tent” choir team within Pakatan should understand that the people are not frustrated by BN but the Opposition coalition! Get that in your minds, please.
In 2018, voters gave Pakatan a momentous federal victory hoping that the coalition would embark on a series of reforms and become a better Government than BN, which took the nation downhill in the recent decades.
However, voters received a rude shock when Pakatan performed worse than the BN itself. Instead of embarking on reforms, the then-Pakatan chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad became the biggest stumbling block to his own coalition!
Yes, we can all blame the nonagenarian now but we have not forgotten how other Pakatan leaders pandered to Mahathir’s whims and fancies as he mocked and ridiculed those who voted for him.
Remember when Mahathir said that the Pakatan’s manifesto was not a holy book and the promises were made without realising they would win federal powers? Did any of Pakatan’s top guns reprimand him for it?
And those who dared to question the Langkawi MP like DAP stalwarts P. Ramasamy, Ronnie Liu and Dr Boo Cheng Hau were severely admonished by their own comrade as if Mahathir was a saint that should be revered at all times despite his transgressions.
Given all that, is it any surprise that PKR leaders such as Nurul Izzah Anwar and Rafizi Ramli took a break from active politics back then? Have you forgotten all that, Mr Liew?
And in case the “big tent Pakatan posse” have forgotten, let me remind you that those who collapsed the Government back then was Pakatan itself in the form of your then-ally Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and 10 PKR MPs.
Yes, we agree that BN and PAS also conspired behind your backs when you call Perikatan a “backdoor Government”, it was Bersatu (Pakatan’s erstwhile partner) that opened the “backdoor entry” into Putrajaya for them.
More nauseating was that after Bersatu joined hands with UMNO and PAS, they started chanting the same mantra as the two, “No Anwar, No DAP” despite winning federal power in 2018 under Pakatan’s ticket.
And you want Pakatan to open their “front doors” to these people again, Mr Liew?
Own up to your errors
Anyhow, while I do agree that there are no permanent friends and enemies in politics, don’t you agree that one should be careful who they align themselves with?
Remember, no one forced Bersatu to ditch Pakatan in the first place. They made the decision to align themselves with UMNO and PAS and now, they are paying dearly for it.
Assuming we go on the “forgive and forget” mode, what makes Liew think that Bersatu would not pull a “Sheraton Move 2.0” against Pakatan should the latter win federal power in the next general election?
Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin made a name for himself as a backstabber all the way. In fact, Liew was also a victim of the Pagoh MP’s treachery.
Based on the articles written by Liew himself, it was the DAP leader who went all out to convince Pakatan to accept Muhyiddin into their fold prior to the 2018 General Election.
In any case, it is timely for Pakatan to understand that they have failed the people. Granted, it was not entirely the coalition’s fault but a major portion of the blame came from the coalition for squandering on the opportunity given.
My humble suggestion to Pakatan leaders is to first own up to your mistakes and apologise to the people who feel betrayed by your conduct.
Secondly, ditch any thought about working with Bersatu or PAS. The current crop of leaders there do not share Pakatan’s ideas on reforms but are only reaching out to you as they know UMNO is planning to finish them off!
Rafizi was spot on when he said that Pakatan should build on its strengths and improve on its weaknesses rather than working with any Tom, Dick and Harry just so that the coalition can have an “easy entry” into Putrajaya.
And I reiterate to Liew that while people are sick of BN they feel stabbed in the back by Pakatan. So, it is best for your ilk to endear yourselves again to your supporters and ex-supporters by proving to them that Pakatan will make amends if voted back to power.
Once the people believe in you, electoral victory is natural consequence and you do not need any “tents” for that to happen. – April 25, 2022
Of course there will be idiots like Liew who would not mind ditching principles to hope to enjoy the trappings of power in a government.
ReplyDeleteAs I previously said, "go ahead and join hands with Bersatu and PAS"
The rakyat will give you a lesson you will not forget.
During the PH governnent it was DAP's father and son who kissed the ground that the old buffoon walked.
Looks like DAP elites don't seem to have learnt the lesson of past betrayals. Looks like Liew would love to be screwed one more time.
At least the son (LGE) this time has said openly "no co-operation with Bersatu and PAS".
DAP and the others must now strive to regain the trust of the rakyat. Forget about being the government. Go for GE16..that would be my advice