FMT:
Turun Anwar rally missed the point, says ex-Muda sec-gen
Former Muda secretary-general Amir Hadi says the opposition should have focused on credible alternatives and policy proposals instead of merely demanding the prime minister's resignation
About 18,000 people took part in Saturday’s ‘Turun Anwar’ rally in Kuala Lumpur, according to police, although the organisers, PAS Youth, claimed a total of more than 200,000 participants.
PETALING JAYA: The opposition should have focused on credible alternatives and policy proposals in its July 26 rally instead of focusing on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s failures and demanding his resignation, says a former Muda secretary-general.
Amir Hadi, now the executive director of civil society group Mandiri, said he had communicated his reservations to the organisers regarding the use of the Turun Anwar slogan.
Amir Hadi, now the executive director of civil society group Mandiri, said he had communicated his reservations to the organisers regarding the use of the Turun Anwar slogan.
Amir Hadi.
“#TurunAnwar is political. It’s a message aimed at seizing power. Especially when Perikatan Nasional (PN) is known for its many manoeuvres to return to government, including efforts to topple a government without going through an election.
“This kind of approach turns people off. At least those on the fence. If you’re a party member or sympathiser, of course, you’d want the government to fall. But for fence-sitters, it just looks like a rushed attempt to return to power,” he said in a Facebook post late last night.
He said Malaysians might be frustrated with the current government, but were also weary of political instability that could do more harm.
“The fact is, people are sick of politicians. They may be angry at Anwar over various issues, but that doesn’t mean they want him removed halfway through his term, plunging the country back into instability,” he said.
Amir, who did not join the rally for the reasons given, said presenting concrete policy alternatives such as abolishing toll charges and repealing draconian laws was the strength of past oppositions.
“Even if they’ve failed to deliver now, back when they were the opposition, they presented solutions,” he said in a likely reference to Pakatan Harapan, which is now part of the unity government.
Amir also said that questions about who PN would propose as Anwar’s potential replacement were legitimate: “And they still can’t answer who will replace Anwar – even within their own ranks. So how can people trust them?”
‘PN lacks direction’
DAP’s Liew Chin Tong also took aim at the opposition, saying PN had a significant presence in Parliament but lacked a clear leadership vision to be taken as a serious alternative.
“#TurunAnwar is political. It’s a message aimed at seizing power. Especially when Perikatan Nasional (PN) is known for its many manoeuvres to return to government, including efforts to topple a government without going through an election.
“This kind of approach turns people off. At least those on the fence. If you’re a party member or sympathiser, of course, you’d want the government to fall. But for fence-sitters, it just looks like a rushed attempt to return to power,” he said in a Facebook post late last night.
He said Malaysians might be frustrated with the current government, but were also weary of political instability that could do more harm.
“The fact is, people are sick of politicians. They may be angry at Anwar over various issues, but that doesn’t mean they want him removed halfway through his term, plunging the country back into instability,” he said.
Amir, who did not join the rally for the reasons given, said presenting concrete policy alternatives such as abolishing toll charges and repealing draconian laws was the strength of past oppositions.
“Even if they’ve failed to deliver now, back when they were the opposition, they presented solutions,” he said in a likely reference to Pakatan Harapan, which is now part of the unity government.
Amir also said that questions about who PN would propose as Anwar’s potential replacement were legitimate: “And they still can’t answer who will replace Anwar – even within their own ranks. So how can people trust them?”
‘PN lacks direction’
DAP’s Liew Chin Tong also took aim at the opposition, saying PN had a significant presence in Parliament but lacked a clear leadership vision to be taken as a serious alternative.
Liew Chin Tong.
He said the Turun Anwar rally might have drawn a crowd, but did not capture the interest of middle-ground or non-partisan voters.
“Almost all were core supporters of PAS,” the deputy investment, trade and industry minister said in a Facebook post.
He said PN could choose to be a constructive opposition, such as by cooperating on key issues like confidence and supply, as DAP did after the Sheraton Move.
“Their leaders should know that being the kind of opposition that can only manufacture outrage and anger to manipulate the people’s emotions, especially among the Malays, will not bring the country anywhere,” he said.
He said the Turun Anwar rally might have drawn a crowd, but did not capture the interest of middle-ground or non-partisan voters.
“Almost all were core supporters of PAS,” the deputy investment, trade and industry minister said in a Facebook post.
He said PN could choose to be a constructive opposition, such as by cooperating on key issues like confidence and supply, as DAP did after the Sheraton Move.
“Their leaders should know that being the kind of opposition that can only manufacture outrage and anger to manipulate the people’s emotions, especially among the Malays, will not bring the country anywhere,” he said.
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