PETALING JAYA: A former minister has told DAP’s Zairil Khir Johari to “get a real feel” of Malaysian politics before wanting to emulate political coalitions in Germany.
In a series of tweets, Zaid Ibrahim said the country needed to unite to fight racism and authoritarian ideologies, amongst others.
Zaid also disagreed with the Penang DAP vice-chairman’s citation of Germany as an example of countries that had successful coalitions despite parties subscribing to different ideologies.
“Zairil, we are not a democracy like Germany. We are trying to have one. So our allies must want democracy.”
The former Kota Bharu lawmaker said only when Malaysia became a democracy could politicians have allies who want “more of healthcare or less of environment or more of workers’ rights.”
Earlier today, Zairil noted that the conservative Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) was ruling some states in a coalition with The Greens, which itself was a component of a merger with the Alliance 90.
These two parties, Zairil explained, had very different ideologies, yet were able to form governments together in certain states.
In some states, as well as at the federal level, the two parties remained rivals.
Zairil said this in response to Zaid’s speech on Monday that the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition fell apart because it had been based on convenience rather than shared principles.
In June last year, PR – a coalition that comprised PKR, DAP and PAS, formed in 2008 – was declared dead following a fallout between the DAP and PAS over hudud.
In a series of tweets, Zaid Ibrahim said the country needed to unite to fight racism and authoritarian ideologies, amongst others.
Zaid also disagreed with the Penang DAP vice-chairman’s citation of Germany as an example of countries that had successful coalitions despite parties subscribing to different ideologies.
“Zairil, we are not a democracy like Germany. We are trying to have one. So our allies must want democracy.”
The former Kota Bharu lawmaker said only when Malaysia became a democracy could politicians have allies who want “more of healthcare or less of environment or more of workers’ rights.”
Earlier today, Zairil noted that the conservative Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) was ruling some states in a coalition with The Greens, which itself was a component of a merger with the Alliance 90.
These two parties, Zairil explained, had very different ideologies, yet were able to form governments together in certain states.
In some states, as well as at the federal level, the two parties remained rivals.
Zairil said this in response to Zaid’s speech on Monday that the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition fell apart because it had been based on convenience rather than shared principles.
In June last year, PR – a coalition that comprised PKR, DAP and PAS, formed in 2008 – was declared dead following a fallout between the DAP and PAS over hudud.
Zaid may well be a bit of a loose cannon and at times fickle-minded, but occasionally he knows what he is talking about. And he's right on above while Zairil Khir, though technically correct, lacks Zaid's experience and deeper knowledge.
Indeed, Pakatan Rakyat was a coalition through a motley of convenient marriages, all match-made by Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar had the BIG picture in mind, where he wanted to be PM of Malaysia - yes, that was his BIG picture, to be PM. Thus he was quite happy to reasonably accommodate DAP and PAS even unto sacrificing PKR's claims here and there a bit.
Contrasting to him, Azmin Ali has been mean-spirited, calculating to the last drop of blood on how PKR would get every iota of advantage over DAP, hence the big sabotage of DAP by PKR in Sarawak. His current kowtowing to PAS in Selangor and Malaysia-wide has been about his own survival.
His so-called treacherous alliance with the DAP and sluttish flirtations with PAS has led him to what is know as the kangkang mentality, which Chinese describe as having his feet on two different boats, but with one leg on each. That such kangkang stride will eventually split him asunder shows he lacks that BIG picture vision, unlike his mentor Anwar.
Yes, the sad part of it all is that with Azmin lacking vision of the BIG picture where potentially as a likely Pakatan PM he will rule Malaysia with the DAP and PAS under him a la Tun Razak.
Either Azmin has Chettiar DNA or he is still too much of a mathematician, wakakaka.
Tian Chua as his sidekick has a slightly different agenda, He knows the stronger the DAP becomes, the more irrelevant his Chinese section in PKR becomes. At one stage Anwar Ibrahim was okay with the DAP sapu-ing all Chinese majority seats (because his BIG picture was, if DAP had won, he stepped closer to Putrajaya). That terrified Tian Chua. Thus with Azmin in place of Anwar as de facto PKR Boss, Tian Chua is now rapt. He has been the spokesperson for Azmin when he recently gave PKR's seats to Pribumi so easily.
The point of all above discussion is that Pakatan Rakyat, so incredibly successful in 2008 and 2013, was in the end a conglomerate of convenient marriages which without Anwar as the match-maker, was inevitably doomed. If Anwar has been still around he might just be able to mollify PAS (Pak Haji Hadi Awang dislikes him a lot but the PAS party majlis might be persuaded to hang on in Pakatan Rakyat) and also slow-talk DAP into accommodation with PAS. In this, Azmin Ali has been a failure because he couldn't fill Anwar's shoes.
Thus while young Zairil Khir has been technically correct that parties, which have very different ideologies, like DAP and PAS, wakakaka, could possibly win elections and form governments (eg. Selangor), I doubt those parties can subsequently form federal government in the wake of the DAP-PAS acrimonious quarrel.
Zaid is far more correct in his deeper thinking because the ideologies of German parties and Malaysian parties are miles apart. What Zaid has said correctly is that the German ideologies or concerns are above mere democracy which in Western Europe is already a 'given'.
The Germans no longer need worry about a 'given' but look more closely at issues such as health, environment, arts, o[pension, etc.
Most Malaysians still talk about political reforms because they yearn for the missing democracy, while PAS talks about hudud and behaviour (actually suppression) of womenfolk.
But let's look at PAS and Pribumi (because DAP's ideology is already unpalatable to PAS, and vice versa. As for PKR, it will conform to the ideology of either PAS or Pribumi, wakakaka).
Both PAS and Pribumi want control and subservience and that's the reality of ideology. In ketuanan Melayu both are also in accord.
But PAS' version is that Malaysians aren't allowed to question the minutest details of its fatwa, policies or actions such as apostasy, aurat, women dressing, Muslim sportswomen. It wants to achieve this with increased syariah courts punishment (until the syariah courts could pass death sentences by decapitations), etc. Thus PAS advocates punishment to intimidate and control and suppress, and to become unchallengeable.
Pribumi has a comparatively (to PAS' ideology) more moderate stand where some questioning or dissent or even secularism may be allowed so long as the chosen or specified PM remains in charge of national affairs, and that institutions may exist freely until it comes to government policies which must not be challenged.
Does anyone imagine that ultra Islamist PAS and nationalistic Pribumi can form government without one eventually cheating the other?
Thus Zaid has been absolutely spot on that the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition fell apart because it had been based on convenience rather than shared principles. It was doomed when one talks about democracy, humanity, equality and no capital punishment whilst the other wants the exact opposite, no liberalism such as democracy, humanity or equality but rather increased floggings and chopping off of limbs.
The same can be said of PAS and Pribumi.
DAP. You want your friend to support you but you wont support you friend. What friend are you?
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