Rakyat’s Resolution 2010: Learn to appreciate friendship between PAS and DAP

We feel safe bashing Pakatan Rakyat in the open, don’t we?

By Tohkong Mosjid

We have no fear in talking in the face of Pakatan’s politicians, do we?

We have no worries about writing allegations if it involves Pakatan’s politicians, do we?

We feel that we are the boss when we are complaining about Pakatan, don’t we?

We forget about the I.S.A and sedition laws when we were writing or saying bad things about Pakatan, don’t we?

We somehow believe that whatever we complain about Pakatan, Pakatan will at least listen to us, don’t we?

We find we have bigger balls when we are facing Pakatan’s politicians compared to Barisan’s politicians, don’t we?

We find most of Pakatan’s politicians are easier to access because most of them don’t have bodyguards like Barisan Nasional’s politicians, don’t we?

These are some of the privileges we are enjoying when it comes to having Pakatan Rakyat as our servant. But many of us are abusing these privileges instead of appreciating the good side Pakatan is offering.

Subconsciously, all of us seem to have the perception that it is absolutely safe to criticize Pakatan because they won’t bite us back in any way. But, we have always been afraid to say the same things to Barisan Nasional because subconsciously we find them very intimidating as the police and MACC may just come after us for ridiculing their masters.

We can already see the difference in terms of freedom of speech when it comes to Barisan and Pakatan. Pakatan is trying to help us heal from this tumor called Barisan Nasional. No amount of chemotherapy and radiation can make a difference now. We need major surgery for the complete removal of this tumor scheduled as soon as the next general election comes. We must acknowledge this fact, and start to appreciate Pakatan Rakyat more for what it has to offer when it comes to power.

DAP and PAS: Bitter enemy become friends for the sake of the nation

PAS and DAP has come a long way to finally be able to sit together for the sake of this country. Some of us argue that they ONLY do that for the sake of power. Well, if they don’t want power, why join politics then? If they don’t want power, why should they listen to us then? PAS and DAP are no saints – if they don’t have power, how can they defeat Barisan Nasional? And the only one who can give them power is us, the rakyat.

PAS and DAP can choose to remain separated, and let us be ruled by Barisan Nasional for decades to come. But they did not; they decided to find a way to work together so that we no longer need to sit under Barisan Nasional. We have to appreciate that very fact. We can bitterly criticize them, but we should refrain from condemning them to the point of breakup.

PAS, DAP and the rakyat has to accept the fact that PAS and DAP comes from opposing sides of the spectrum. For over 50 years, to maintain support, PAS has been telling its members that they are fighting for Islam and syariah and they will be their guide in politics and the nation; and to introduce Islamic values* in an effort to establish justice and progress in all areas including governance and administration, social, economic studies and education.

What does Islamic values mean? Read here: http://www.uga.edu/islam/norms_values.html

Over the years, DAP too has been telling their members that they will fight to establish a peaceful and prosperous social democracy that can unite its disparate races and diverse religions and cultures based on a Malaysian Malaysia concept by forging the Malaysian race with universal moral values, offering equal access and opportunity; democratic governance and rule of law; creating wealth and distributing wealth equitably; and fighting against corruption.  

Both parties are fighting for the day when fairness and democratic governance will be widely adopted in Malaysia. Both parties actually have more similarities in their missions than their differences.

To sit together and work together with PAS, DAP must not be too skeptical about Islam. They should keep an open heart and open ear to learn a thing or two from PAS Kelantan about keeping the people united, happy and satisfied with the state government through Islamic governance.

PAS, too, has to understand that skeptism towards Islam was not formed in a day. Judging from the comments I got when I wrote my previous article, “Perhaps we should give Islamic governance a try… http://bit.ly/8FmbYe” – People are generally ok with the idea, but they only trust Islamic governance if they are being led by Muslims with unquestionable integrity like Tok Guru Nik Aziz and Datuk Nizar Jamaluddin.

So, PAS, I hope you can understand that the problem about implementing Islamic governance is not the system itself, but with the leaders who are going to implement it. The sad part is, PAS is currently seriously lacking leaders with unquestionable integrity like Tok Guru Nik Aziz and the well-liked Nizar. Perhaps PAS should address this issue first or else the other leaders will smear the good name of Islamic governance before it has a chance to be implemented.

Apart from that, PAS, too, should take this opportunity to appreciate and learn a thing or two from DAP on its consistencies in addressing national issues and its capabilities in debating policies on the national budget and economy; a capability which is severely lacking from PAS leaders.

We, the rakyat, should continue to feel good about this friendship and encourage them to stay together for many years to come. We will lose everything we fight for if PAS and DAP chooses to break-up. Remember, we were the catalyst that pushed them into this marriage of inconvenience.

Yes, you read it right; it is a marriage of inconvenience. This is not a marriage of convenience as alleged by Barisan Nasional because it is a total inconvenience for PAS and DAP to put down their decades of hostility and differences to sit together – yet they put in effort to do it. They did it for us, they did it for the nation and they did it for our future generations – and this is what we should learn to appreciate them for.

Special note to PKR

Although I did not mention PKR above, I am not at all belittling PKR’s importance, efforts or whatsoever towards the nation and Pakatan Rakyat. Without PKR, there never will be any effort to bring PAS and DAP together – without PKR, there will never be a Pakatan Rakyat; hence there will never be hope for Malaysians for a new dawn to come — and with that, thank you.