By TK Chua
I think politics in this country has degenerated to the most absurd levels and today I am not referring to either Umno or Barisan Nasional. I am talking about PKR – how its seemingly intelligent leaders are now trying to articulate the most ridiculous and wangle the impossible.
In a nutshell, this is what Rafizi and other leaders in PKR said recently:
- PKR is committed to Pakatan Harapan (PH) but at the same time wants to continue cooperating with PAS to win the general election;
- PAS appears to be the only party capable of competing with Umno to win the Malay heartlands because the party is seemingly “so Islamic, innocent and very strong with the Malays”;
- Many of the Malays are not even aware of the existence of the three-month-old PAS splinter party Amanah (Parti Amanah Negara);
- PKR will only review its position with PAS when there is an “official position” between PAS and Umno. PAS’s fundamental policies and its oscillating position and ambiguity do not count;
- PAS is needed to forge a straight fight against BN, which is necessary to win in the next general election;
- Politics is not about ‘they hit you so why don’t you hit back”. PKR must compromise with PAS because the party and PH do not want to be twisted and labelled as anti-Malay and anti-Islam;
- PKR is the only party able to continue talking with PAS, stressing the importance of PKR’s role to rein in multi-ethnic voters back to the centre.
I am not a politician seeking public office and therefore it may be easy for me to talk.
But in politics, is winning everything? What do we win a general election for – to enjoy power or to carry out fundamental policies and ideals we believe in?
Why would PAS help PH win a general election if the Opposition coalition does not wish to carry out its core policies and ideals? So it must boil down to PAS’s policies and ideals again. Does PH, as a coalition, believe in PAS’s policies and objectives? If not, why win a general election if only to end up having incriminated yourself to policies that are contrary to your own beliefs?
PAS is not as strong, pious and innocent as it has been made out to be. On their own, they have not grown beyond the north-eastern states. It was Pakatan Rakyat that helped them gain prominence and a “moderate face” nationally.
My contention is, why the need to compete with PAS on fake piousness and bigotry? PAS must be challenged for its pretence and incompetence. When the great flood hit Kelantan, what did PAS leaders do other than say they themselves were also trapped in the flood? This is where enlightened Malay leaders must come in. We expect enlightenment, education and knowledge spread among the rural population, not continued indoctrination, and an outdated way of thinking and ignorance.
It does not matter that PAS has chosen to work with Umno or anybody else. The most important consideration is whether the party’s policies and objectives are in consonance with PH.
PAS does not own the Malays and Islam. I think it is defeatist if PH coalition partners hold on to the belief that only PAS is able to shake off their anti-Malay and anti-Islam label. In fact, Amanah, PKR and DAP must each try out their own platform to appeal to the Malays and Muslims.
Changing the mindset of the people so they see issues correctly, is never easy but half a century has come and gone, but how much longer must we wait? I think politicians, if they are sincere, should not resort to the easiest way to gain power. They must not compete to keep people ignorant and stay parochial. On the contrary, they must instil in the people knowledge, rationality and inclusiveness.
We know this country is going backward in many aspects. Inadvertently or not, PKR is now telling us how to compete to win a general election so that we can all go backwards even faster.