Spineless Politicians
Visnu Natesan
The current unity talks between PKR and UMNO as described by Raja Petra Kamarudin in his blog titled ‘Is a marriage over the horizon’ marks the leadership credibility of both government and opposition. As usual the public is hoodwinked with propaganda such as ‘reformation’, ‘good governance’, ‘stop corruption’, ‘clean and fair election’, etc.
We need to connect the dots from the past to understand the future. Many opposition leaders have forgotten the sacrifice made by average Joes on the street for PKR to be one of the strongest political parties in Malaysia. Have we forgotten the pain during the BERSIH rally when the ‘government’ decided to fire tear gas into the crowd? Have we forgotten the efforts by average Joes defending the polling station during the election? Have we forgotten the massive amount of effort by average Malaysians supporting the opposition during the election? Has PKR forgotten how the public supported Anwar Ibrahim after his arrest?
“I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician” – Charles Chaplin
Charlie was right. Clowns should be placed higher than politicians. At least a clown makes an honest living. A clown entertains, a politician manipulates.
In a democratic system, a good opposition is a must for good governance. PKR has proven to be an effective opposition with their strong criticisms against government policies. Malaysians have now experienced the ‘real’ concept of democracy with both sides presenting their views and ideas. The online media has played a major role in assisting the public with information that is crucial in decision making. We have tasted the power of the people and we need the country to function with a balanced power not with politicians’ personal agendas.
The ‘unity talk’ is not for the public. It’s merely an illusion for political leaders from both sides to strengthen their political position. In a classic political strategy move, the unification of PKR-UMNO will serve the political masters not the public. On that note, the political leaders should stop using the ‘unity’ propaganda. Maybe, they should be honest with their intention. Proclaim to the public that the unity is to strengthen political positions, not for the public.
Politicians usually operate with the mindset that ‘politicians are smarter than the public’. However, the politicians should also know that the current generation is well informed, equipped with knowledge and won’t easily believe political propaganda. This serves as a reminder to PKR that the only reason they are a strong opposition is not because of their leadership or political strategy. The public supports PKR because the public wants the power to be shared for better governance.
PKR is their own worst enemy. The current organization serves as an example where divided managing styles prove disastrous. Khalid Ibrahim serves as the Menteri Besar and Azmin Ali serves as PKR Selangor Chairman. Anwar Ibrahim serves as Ketua Umum and Wan Azizah serves as PKR President. The fiasco with organizing the leaders is sufficient to prove PKR’s inefficiency in managing the party and state. The public, despite seeing these shortcomings has supported PKR based on the ‘room for improvement’ concept since they are still a new political party in Malaysia. On that note, the writer urges the PKR leadership not to underestimate the public’s intelligence.
The PKR leadership should focus on issues that matters to the public. The strategy going forward should focus on unifying the Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Iban, etc. People should be the central theme not political agenda. PKR should focus on implementing a sustainable economic and socio-economic model in Selangor. PKR should discuss with DAP and PAS on consistent development policies to be implemented in Penang, Kelantan and Selangor. By managing the three states efficiently, the support from rural voters will increase.
The spineless act or move to merge with Barisan Nasional is not what the public desires. The urban voters will abandon PKR and throw their support to DAP or PAS. PKR should focus on synergizing political ideologies with DAP and PAS. If the central theme is people not political, the strategy will serve Pakatan Rakyat well in the next general election.
“The difference between a politician and a statesman is that a politician thinks about the next election while the statesman think about the next generation” ― Hillary Rodham Clinton
Echoing the above quote, we need statesmen, not politicians. Think about the next generation that will be voting in the next general election. The public will punish PKR severely if they decide to join Barisan Nasional.
