What next for Pakatan Rakyat? — Gerard Lourdesamy
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/what-next-for-pakatan-rakyat-gerard-lourdesamy/
May 11, 2013
MAY 11 — Rather than write a discourse on the outcome of the recently concluded 13th general election and the various reasons valid or otherwise for the failure of PR under the leadership of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to capture the federal government despite winning the popular vote, which should be left to the experts to decipher over the coming weeks, I have decided to make a few observations as to where PR and Anwar should go from here:
Anwar should remain as the opposition leader in Parliament since PR still needs his leadership, guidance and experience. Only he at present can keep the disparate parties in PR together against their common enemy BN. Besides, Anwar is the only person within PR who has been in government before and he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the workings and machinations of Umno as the backbone of the BN.
But Anwar should also forget about becoming prime minister. This overwhelming desire in him to aspire to this office at all costs is doing great damage to his reputation and credibility. He should play a constructive role in opposition to the BN government. Highlight their weaknesses and shortcomings but not in a personal sense; offer a better and viable alternative in matters of good governance, the economy and social policy; and co-operate where necessary in matters of national interest while still remaining as political competitors. In this context, PR should no longer delay the creation of a shadow Cabinet even if there is no precedent for such a body in our parliamentary system of government.
PR should evolve into a formal coalition with a common logo, provided the ideological divide between PAS and the DAP can be resolved. All parties should act and speak based on their common policy document and not make public statements about their own ideological aspirations and demands which depart from the core principles agreed to in their existing framework. PR while being a coalition of equals must refrain from public squabbles and spats that undermine public confidence in their ability to govern. There must be a clear and defined central leadership that is accepted and respected by all members of PR.
PR should encourage other parties to join them such as PSM and STAR as equal partners and not as appendages to the dictates of the core members of PR. PR must engage with political parties from the Borneo states and other interest groups in order to broaden its appeal to voters in east Malaysia as well as the Malay heartland. PR should not depend on PAS alone to deliver votes from the rural and semi-rural seats in Peninsular Malaysia.
PKR is the weakest link in PR because of its poor grassroots support and machinery. It must strengthen its presence in the Malay heartland and in the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak. It cannot always depend on PAS and the DAP to deliver the votes. PKR is too urban or semi-urban centric. Its leaders who are all from cosmopolitan middle-class backgrounds do not wish to move outside the urban centres of the west coast of the peninsula. PKR is very weak at the division and branch levels in most states except in Selangor and Penang. Its leaders have a poor service record in most seats that they have won previously and in some cases their service centres are non-existent. How do you expect rural voters who are used to the largess and attention of BN to relate to you when they only see your face during election time and not after? It is not just about lack of resources or funds but rather the absence of service. Even PSM in Sungai Siput could win handsomely despite the lack of funds simply based on the sterling service record of its incumbent MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj that was enough to defeat the well-oiled and greased MIC-led onslaught this time around.
PKR while being Malay dominated should distance itself from the Umno mindset of some of its ex-Umno members. While there are a sizeable number of leaders who come from a non-political background, it is the ex-Umno group that still dominates the party leadership at the centre and in the states. While we can appreciate their experience and expertise when it comes to strategies to damage Umno/BN, we cannot accept their innate desire to aspire only for party positions and political office by creating their own support groups and inner cliques at the expense of party unity and cohesion. There are even some, if in power, who would simply perpetuate the Umno mentality of rewarding cronies just to consolidate their position within the party and government albeit at the state level.
PAS and the DAP are indeed strange bedfellows. PAS should tone down its rhetoric on hudud and the Islamic state which are not very appealing to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. While it resonates with their core supporters in Kelantan and Terengganu, it scares away the moderate Malay/Muslims in the rural heartland of Kedah, Perlis and Perak. In Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor, PAS seldom does well unless it is supported by the non-Muslims. Not that the Muslims do not want to be pious but there is more to life than just piety. They want development, jobs and a decent standard of living. Just praying and refraining from bad deeds is not going to satisfy their desire for these very necessary earthly things. This is where PAS often fails outside of Kelantan, as seen in Terengganu previously and now in Kedah. While they can provide good governance and avoid corruption and abuses, their administrative and planning skills are seriously lacking especially if the leadership is still dominated by those with only religious training and a somewhat limited perspective of life.
The DAP must shed its Chinese-only image although I must concede that it has succeeded to some extent in the last five years. It has to broaden its appeal to Malays and Indians and reward them fairly if they prove to be good and loyal members. The grassroots and cyber-troopers ought to be reminded that we still live in a multiracial and multireligious country where the Chinese and Indians are minorities in an overwhelmingly Malay/Muslim environment. We must respect each other’s sensitivities and conduct ourselves with restraint and decorum at all times even in the heat of discussion and discourse. Overt or covert pandering to racism and racist sentiments should be avoided at all costs. Instead there should be a healthy respect for our diversity rather than an appeal to outdated notions of racial superiority and lack of tolerance simply because one race is perceived to be better than another either in terms of intelligence or ability.
The polemics surrounding the use of the word “Allah” by Christians and others should cease. From a constitutional standpoint it may be permissible but leave it to the courts to decide. Perhaps an exception can be made for east Malaysia but the Christian minority in Peninsular Malaysia should accept the political reality of the environment that they live in which has seen the ascendancy of radicalised Islam advocated by both Umno and PAS. This issue has caused PAS and PKR votes in the Malay heartland thanks to Umno’s crass appeal to religious sentiments. Rather than prolong this divisive issue, the Christians should seek the middle ground and make a concession at least in the peninsula. God is not going to get offended if we call him by a different name from the Muslims.
PR should start giving their up and coming leaders greater responsibility and a more public role in articulating the position and policies of the coalition. Cultivate and encourage a new generation of leaders who are not tainted by the race-based politics of the past. Let them take over the helm of the coalition before the next general election. The old guard should gladly give up their positions by then. We need a new breed and a new generation of politicians to cater to the ever younger voter base. I am glad that we have many young leaders from among PR who have the potential to reach high office. Nurul Izzah Anwar is one such person among many in PKR, the DAP and PAS who have the ability, talent and integrity to occupy high political office.
PR should as a whole move away from confrontational politics to constructive engagement. BN should respect this and accept the reality that PR got more votes compared to them. Any transformation that BN wants to achieve must also accommodate the views and opinions of PR that represents nearly 52 per cent of Malaysian voters. It is time that excessive politicking which has continued since 2008 is brought to an end together with the endless street demonstrations and public protests. The latter should only be a last resort if debate in Parliament has failed.
Political and electoral reform, which is sought by many after the debacle of the 13th general election, can only be achieved through consensus and dialogue with BN, given its entrenched position in our national life. It will take a Herculean task to remove BN in the short term. Political bipartisanship on national issues like the economy, social policy and political reform would be a better approach rather than confrontation with BN which PR can never win for various obvious reasons.
It is here that genuinely impartial NGOs devoid of political ambitions can play a part in bridging the divide between BN and PR. The conflict of personalities and ambitions coupled with the politics of hate and humiliation should cease on both sides of the political divide as voters both rural and urban are getting sick and tired of such behaviour that is neither relevant nor necessary to their demands and aspirations for a better standard of living in an environment of peace and security.
Lastly, whether Anwar remains in politics either on the PR front bench or behind the scenes and notwithstanding his alleged character flaws and weaknesses, he will in the eyes of most Malaysians be remembered as a great politician and an unwavering optimist who took on the might of BN despite personal adversity and public humiliation to create a better Malaysia where democracy, freedom and integrity could flourish. He gave us hope and let us all build on that hope. In the hearts of many of us he will always be regarded as the best prime minister that we never had and perhaps in some strange way history will judge him as the catalyst for change but not the beneficiary of it.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/what-next-for-pakatan-rakyat-gerard-lourdesamy/
May 11, 2013
MAY 11 — Rather than write a discourse on the outcome of the recently concluded 13th general election and the various reasons valid or otherwise for the failure of PR under the leadership of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to capture the federal government despite winning the popular vote, which should be left to the experts to decipher over the coming weeks, I have decided to make a few observations as to where PR and Anwar should go from here:
Anwar should remain as the opposition leader in Parliament since PR still needs his leadership, guidance and experience. Only he at present can keep the disparate parties in PR together against their common enemy BN. Besides, Anwar is the only person within PR who has been in government before and he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the workings and machinations of Umno as the backbone of the BN.
But Anwar should also forget about becoming prime minister. This overwhelming desire in him to aspire to this office at all costs is doing great damage to his reputation and credibility. He should play a constructive role in opposition to the BN government. Highlight their weaknesses and shortcomings but not in a personal sense; offer a better and viable alternative in matters of good governance, the economy and social policy; and co-operate where necessary in matters of national interest while still remaining as political competitors. In this context, PR should no longer delay the creation of a shadow Cabinet even if there is no precedent for such a body in our parliamentary system of government.
PR should evolve into a formal coalition with a common logo, provided the ideological divide between PAS and the DAP can be resolved. All parties should act and speak based on their common policy document and not make public statements about their own ideological aspirations and demands which depart from the core principles agreed to in their existing framework. PR while being a coalition of equals must refrain from public squabbles and spats that undermine public confidence in their ability to govern. There must be a clear and defined central leadership that is accepted and respected by all members of PR.
PR should encourage other parties to join them such as PSM and STAR as equal partners and not as appendages to the dictates of the core members of PR. PR must engage with political parties from the Borneo states and other interest groups in order to broaden its appeal to voters in east Malaysia as well as the Malay heartland. PR should not depend on PAS alone to deliver votes from the rural and semi-rural seats in Peninsular Malaysia.
PKR is the weakest link in PR because of its poor grassroots support and machinery. It must strengthen its presence in the Malay heartland and in the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak. It cannot always depend on PAS and the DAP to deliver the votes. PKR is too urban or semi-urban centric. Its leaders who are all from cosmopolitan middle-class backgrounds do not wish to move outside the urban centres of the west coast of the peninsula. PKR is very weak at the division and branch levels in most states except in Selangor and Penang. Its leaders have a poor service record in most seats that they have won previously and in some cases their service centres are non-existent. How do you expect rural voters who are used to the largess and attention of BN to relate to you when they only see your face during election time and not after? It is not just about lack of resources or funds but rather the absence of service. Even PSM in Sungai Siput could win handsomely despite the lack of funds simply based on the sterling service record of its incumbent MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj that was enough to defeat the well-oiled and greased MIC-led onslaught this time around.
PKR while being Malay dominated should distance itself from the Umno mindset of some of its ex-Umno members. While there are a sizeable number of leaders who come from a non-political background, it is the ex-Umno group that still dominates the party leadership at the centre and in the states. While we can appreciate their experience and expertise when it comes to strategies to damage Umno/BN, we cannot accept their innate desire to aspire only for party positions and political office by creating their own support groups and inner cliques at the expense of party unity and cohesion. There are even some, if in power, who would simply perpetuate the Umno mentality of rewarding cronies just to consolidate their position within the party and government albeit at the state level.
PAS and the DAP are indeed strange bedfellows. PAS should tone down its rhetoric on hudud and the Islamic state which are not very appealing to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. While it resonates with their core supporters in Kelantan and Terengganu, it scares away the moderate Malay/Muslims in the rural heartland of Kedah, Perlis and Perak. In Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor, PAS seldom does well unless it is supported by the non-Muslims. Not that the Muslims do not want to be pious but there is more to life than just piety. They want development, jobs and a decent standard of living. Just praying and refraining from bad deeds is not going to satisfy their desire for these very necessary earthly things. This is where PAS often fails outside of Kelantan, as seen in Terengganu previously and now in Kedah. While they can provide good governance and avoid corruption and abuses, their administrative and planning skills are seriously lacking especially if the leadership is still dominated by those with only religious training and a somewhat limited perspective of life.
The DAP must shed its Chinese-only image although I must concede that it has succeeded to some extent in the last five years. It has to broaden its appeal to Malays and Indians and reward them fairly if they prove to be good and loyal members. The grassroots and cyber-troopers ought to be reminded that we still live in a multiracial and multireligious country where the Chinese and Indians are minorities in an overwhelmingly Malay/Muslim environment. We must respect each other’s sensitivities and conduct ourselves with restraint and decorum at all times even in the heat of discussion and discourse. Overt or covert pandering to racism and racist sentiments should be avoided at all costs. Instead there should be a healthy respect for our diversity rather than an appeal to outdated notions of racial superiority and lack of tolerance simply because one race is perceived to be better than another either in terms of intelligence or ability.
The polemics surrounding the use of the word “Allah” by Christians and others should cease. From a constitutional standpoint it may be permissible but leave it to the courts to decide. Perhaps an exception can be made for east Malaysia but the Christian minority in Peninsular Malaysia should accept the political reality of the environment that they live in which has seen the ascendancy of radicalised Islam advocated by both Umno and PAS. This issue has caused PAS and PKR votes in the Malay heartland thanks to Umno’s crass appeal to religious sentiments. Rather than prolong this divisive issue, the Christians should seek the middle ground and make a concession at least in the peninsula. God is not going to get offended if we call him by a different name from the Muslims.
PR should start giving their up and coming leaders greater responsibility and a more public role in articulating the position and policies of the coalition. Cultivate and encourage a new generation of leaders who are not tainted by the race-based politics of the past. Let them take over the helm of the coalition before the next general election. The old guard should gladly give up their positions by then. We need a new breed and a new generation of politicians to cater to the ever younger voter base. I am glad that we have many young leaders from among PR who have the potential to reach high office. Nurul Izzah Anwar is one such person among many in PKR, the DAP and PAS who have the ability, talent and integrity to occupy high political office.
PR should as a whole move away from confrontational politics to constructive engagement. BN should respect this and accept the reality that PR got more votes compared to them. Any transformation that BN wants to achieve must also accommodate the views and opinions of PR that represents nearly 52 per cent of Malaysian voters. It is time that excessive politicking which has continued since 2008 is brought to an end together with the endless street demonstrations and public protests. The latter should only be a last resort if debate in Parliament has failed.
Political and electoral reform, which is sought by many after the debacle of the 13th general election, can only be achieved through consensus and dialogue with BN, given its entrenched position in our national life. It will take a Herculean task to remove BN in the short term. Political bipartisanship on national issues like the economy, social policy and political reform would be a better approach rather than confrontation with BN which PR can never win for various obvious reasons.
It is here that genuinely impartial NGOs devoid of political ambitions can play a part in bridging the divide between BN and PR. The conflict of personalities and ambitions coupled with the politics of hate and humiliation should cease on both sides of the political divide as voters both rural and urban are getting sick and tired of such behaviour that is neither relevant nor necessary to their demands and aspirations for a better standard of living in an environment of peace and security.
Lastly, whether Anwar remains in politics either on the PR front bench or behind the scenes and notwithstanding his alleged character flaws and weaknesses, he will in the eyes of most Malaysians be remembered as a great politician and an unwavering optimist who took on the might of BN despite personal adversity and public humiliation to create a better Malaysia where democracy, freedom and integrity could flourish. He gave us hope and let us all build on that hope. In the hearts of many of us he will always be regarded as the best prime minister that we never had and perhaps in some strange way history will judge him as the catalyst for change but not the beneficiary of it.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
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