Harapan-Mahathir formula tried and failed, time to move on
YOURSAY | 'Older leaders can't give up their power, but the future is in the next generation…'
COMMENT | Ramkarpal's excoriation of Mahathir is an indictment of Harapan
IndigoTrout2522: Malaysiakini columnist S Thayaparan is right. Within the first year of the Pakatan Harapan government, the rakyat already made comment after comment to warn that then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad could not be trusted.
Mahathir was not supporting the Harapan manifesto. He was not going to honour his promise to the transition plan as agreed because he had a different agenda. He strengthened Bersatu by bringing in Umno MPs. He deliberately undermined Anwar Ibrahim by dividing PKR, using then party rival Azmin Ali. He continued to undermine DAP with the apparent support of Lim Guan Eng and Lim Kit Siang.
His words and actions were apparent enough. However, Kit Siang and Guan Eng were out of touch with the rakyat. Maybe getting power and positions blinded them, even after losing so many by-elections.
All we heard was that they would evaluate why they lost, but, to the public, it was obvious that the trust and confidence were eroding. They did not support Anwar the way they did Mahathir, and it still seems that way now.
YOURSAY | 'Older leaders can't give up their power, but the future is in the next generation…'
COMMENT | Ramkarpal's excoriation of Mahathir is an indictment of Harapan
IndigoTrout2522: Malaysiakini columnist S Thayaparan is right. Within the first year of the Pakatan Harapan government, the rakyat already made comment after comment to warn that then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad could not be trusted.
Mahathir was not supporting the Harapan manifesto. He was not going to honour his promise to the transition plan as agreed because he had a different agenda. He strengthened Bersatu by bringing in Umno MPs. He deliberately undermined Anwar Ibrahim by dividing PKR, using then party rival Azmin Ali. He continued to undermine DAP with the apparent support of Lim Guan Eng and Lim Kit Siang.
His words and actions were apparent enough. However, Kit Siang and Guan Eng were out of touch with the rakyat. Maybe getting power and positions blinded them, even after losing so many by-elections.
All we heard was that they would evaluate why they lost, but, to the public, it was obvious that the trust and confidence were eroding. They did not support Anwar the way they did Mahathir, and it still seems that way now.
Mahathir used Anwar to undermine the whole coalition when the fact was that Mahathir should be the one to shoulder the blame. Of course, Anwar could not imagine, in his wildest dreams, that his friends were the ones to betray him.
DAP has many young dedicated leaders. It is time for Kit Siang and Guan Eng to take a step back and let the younger leaders helm the party and, hopefully, the government. The same goes for PKR. Our younger leaders are the future of Malaysia.
so what if I follow my boss, my beloved Atuk, in reneging on my promise-pledge to resign
Meanwhile, those younger leaders should speak up. Of course, those older and established leaders would try to sidetrack them because they can’t give up power, but the future is in the hands of the next generation.
Hopefully, many of them will speak up.
MS: In 2018, a desperate population drowning in a sea of malfeasance and bigotry clutched at a familiar straw, despite the familiar pain it triggered - Mahathir. So desperate was it that everything known about him, detested, and rejected, was quickly pushed aside… to embrace his second coming as a saviour.
The wily coot, knowing the people’s desperation, made his play using Anwar as bait, and a naive, eager Harapan tantalised and blinded by the prospect of winning.
So, almost everyone was fooled. Many still are. The question now is, has anyone learned anything from that disastrous exercise in mass foolishness? I say no.
The average Malaysian's love of deification (demonstrated just a few months ago and expressed as a mural and endless vials of praise), his tendency to stand erect and in awe at the sight of the ornately titled and wealthy, and the disgusting habit of thoughtlessly forwarding urban folklore about "heroes" to all and sundry, mean this foolishness will be repeated.
Like the virus running amok, there is no cure for stupidity.
Undecided: Remember folks, the whole point is not that Mahathir is some sort of a great traitor, but rather, Harapan political operatives enabled his behaviour, which led to the coalition’s downfall.
The top leaders of Harapan at the time believed this was the right strategy, i.e. to strengthen their Malay voter base and keeping Bersatu/Harapan in power, so as to give more time for reforms to be carried out.
One term is not enough - that was the belief. It is not because they just wanted to please Mahathir or were afraid of him. And it is easy to criticise them in hindsight.
Mahathir just went too far with his toxic rhetoric at the Malay Dignity Congress last October and this angered DAP supporters, especially so soon after the khat issue. Supporting him as prime minister for a third time after so many crucial missteps by him would be disastrous for Harapan.
The real reason for the present political predicament is that there are too many self-serving Malay-Muslim leaders who have placed their own interest above the country's.
Hopefully, many of them will speak up.
MS: In 2018, a desperate population drowning in a sea of malfeasance and bigotry clutched at a familiar straw, despite the familiar pain it triggered - Mahathir. So desperate was it that everything known about him, detested, and rejected, was quickly pushed aside… to embrace his second coming as a saviour.
The wily coot, knowing the people’s desperation, made his play using Anwar as bait, and a naive, eager Harapan tantalised and blinded by the prospect of winning.
So, almost everyone was fooled. Many still are. The question now is, has anyone learned anything from that disastrous exercise in mass foolishness? I say no.
The average Malaysian's love of deification (demonstrated just a few months ago and expressed as a mural and endless vials of praise), his tendency to stand erect and in awe at the sight of the ornately titled and wealthy, and the disgusting habit of thoughtlessly forwarding urban folklore about "heroes" to all and sundry, mean this foolishness will be repeated.
Like the virus running amok, there is no cure for stupidity.
Undecided: Remember folks, the whole point is not that Mahathir is some sort of a great traitor, but rather, Harapan political operatives enabled his behaviour, which led to the coalition’s downfall.
The top leaders of Harapan at the time believed this was the right strategy, i.e. to strengthen their Malay voter base and keeping Bersatu/Harapan in power, so as to give more time for reforms to be carried out.
One term is not enough - that was the belief. It is not because they just wanted to please Mahathir or were afraid of him. And it is easy to criticise them in hindsight.
Mahathir just went too far with his toxic rhetoric at the Malay Dignity Congress last October and this angered DAP supporters, especially so soon after the khat issue. Supporting him as prime minister for a third time after so many crucial missteps by him would be disastrous for Harapan.
The real reason for the present political predicament is that there are too many self-serving Malay-Muslim leaders who have placed their own interest above the country's.
i fully support conman as our 9pm. lets all berjuang demi negara dan bangsa.
ReplyDeleteSo MCA and MIC's desperate attempt to revive their glory days in power by sucking up to UMNO/Bersatu/Yiddin is any better....?
ReplyDeleteDAP is only using Toonsie and his Parti Kacau Bilau 13% now to split up Malay-Muslim dominance....Guanee is playing the master poker political game....ha ha ha....
We need to walk a while in Lim KS and GE 's shoes to understand their thinking.
ReplyDeletePrior to 2018, DAP had been in Opposition to Alliance/BN for 53 years. Of that , 19 years allied with Anwar's PKR.
Nothing much to show at Federal level.
They allied with Mahathir for 2 years, and - BANG - BN lost power.
Of course many other factors were in play, people fed up with GST, fed up with Kleptocracy....but it is impossible to deny the Mahathir factor.
That Mahathir turned out to be a conman is another story.
DAP is been handicapped by none other than the don't-spook-the-melayu-sensitivities amongst their too brasses.
DeleteThe comment by one named " Undecided " at above is by far the most reasonable, level-headed and accurate take of this whole debacle that had befallen upon PH.
ReplyDeleteFor Malaysia to truly get out of this 60 years mess, we all know what is the root cause. It is starring at us right in the eyes but there at the moment NOT A SINGLE so-called towering Malay leader who can be seen in the horizon to come forth to lead the way which undoubtedly will entail sacrifices, pain and the 'gritting of the teeth', hehe. The Malays simply won't even for one second contemplate biting the bullet. So let's enjoy these last moments as far as we can....meanwhile individual wiser heads work hard on their own Plan B.