Name of 'Pakatan Rakyat Malaysia' smells!

Equo ne credite, Teucri
Quidquid id est,
timeo Danaos et dona ferentis

Do not trust the Horse, Trojans
Whatever it is,
I fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts

- Virgil (Aeneid)

The Malaysian Insider’s RoS prefers ‘Pakatan Rakyat Malaysia’ tells us that the Registrar of Societies (RoS) wants the word ‘Malaysia’ added to the registration of Pakatan Rakyat, to reflect the national identity.

This is the same RoS who had thwarted the registration of PSM for years and years, but in contrasting action, registered the Makkal Sakthi party in less time than you can spell ‘hijacked name’.

This is also the same RoS who is being sued for allegedly allowing someone in Makkal Sakthi to amend the party’s constitution to endow the president with extra powers to sack party leaders.

Now it seems RoS wants Pakatan Rakyat to add the word ‘Malaysia’ in the coalition’s name.

According to Saifuddin Nasution, the secretary-general of PKR, “The Ros wants the word ‘Malaysia’ added to instil the national image onto Pakatan Rakyat.”

Wait a ding dong minute, it is not RoS’ job to suggest names, unless of course if some other organisation or party already has the name, or the to-be-registered name is forbidden like, for example, ‘The Allah’s Party’.

If Pakatan Rakyat is registered as Pakatan Rakyat Malaysia, RoS may then require the coalition to carry the abbreviation ‘PRM’ where/if abbreviation is to be used, perhaps on ballot papers or election campaign posters!

PRM also stands for Parti Rakyat Malaysia, or as most Malaysians know it, the socialist party.

Alas, ‘socialism’ is a dirty word in the Malay heartland because it also means ‘communism’, regardless of whether that perception is warranted or not.

Chinese Malaysians call Parti Rakyat Malaysia ‘goo t’au tong’, meaning the party with the head of a water buffalo as its party symbol. The symbol of 'goo t'au tong' carries the same political association as the one the Malay heartland holds for anything ‘socialist’, namely ‘communist’!


You can bet your bottom RMB, rouble or even rupiah that the BN will exploit this to its hilt – by alleging that Pakatan Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) are closeted communists.

Politically, it's an abbreviation that I trust the Pakatan leaders will studiously avoid.