Tieless, and tied to new ties
Despite that a month has passed since the new Government was formed, and the 10th Prime Minister appointment, the exuberance among Pakatan Harapan supporters continue to be on a high, and is expected to spill over the new year and beyond.
Understandably so, as they had been eating their hearts out since the collapse of the first PH Government that had lasted for only 22 months.
Interestingly, cheering alongside the PH diehards are Umno/Barisan Nasional’s “converts” and the “No Anwar, No DAP” war-cry seems to had been chanted in a parallel universe, not here.New clarion calls are unity government, though a misnomer, and stability which promises progress and prosperity.
For good measure the administration is declared His Majesty’s Government and that its being is decreed by the King. Ignored of course, are attempts to point out that all the Governments of Malaysia since independence were His Majesty’s governments and without fail, had been so decreed by the King.
Even some of those from smaller parties, or party-less, that performed badly during the polls are now unashamedly becoming apologists to the new PM and his Cabinet.
Any one raising issue with the PM and its Cabinet are ferociously met with derision, told to move on (and for even better measure, accused of being treasonous for raising issue).
If all these are insufficient to hold the audience captivated, a bogeyman capable of scaring their wits out had been created.
The PAS-led opposition, the Perikatan Nasional is the new enemy of the state, dubbed the local Taliban and treated as a group of Islamic extremists. This is not nuanced. It is pronounced as a matter of fact.
Such is the fear, the once highly principled PH are prepared to embrace the once reviled corruptors, crooks and kleptocrats as only they could help thwart the rise of the monstrous “green tide”.
In their witless state, the new found love is mutual.
To their adherents, the new Government is set to lead the nation to the promised land, which can be taken as to return as a leading player in Asean and the continent as it did in the 90s, and beyond.
Some reforms, once loudly demanded and ordained, don’t seem to fit into their contemporary definition of reforms.
Detention without trial, as provided for under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA) arguably on a shorter stint, is acceptable and even deemed a necessity.
Lest supporters of PH forget, the law used to be decried and derogatorily called ROSMA, a play on the name of Rosmah Mansor, wife of now jailed ex-PM Mohd Najib Razak, accused of using SOSMA to jail critics of the 1MDB.
Similarly in the case of the PM as a finance minister. It is now of no consequence though in the past it was declared as having contributed to corruption, abuse of power and robbing the nation’s coffers blind.
It seems that it is not the holding of the two portfolios that contributed to the creation of the kleptocrat but rather who the person is.
And it is doubtful that many of these supporters subscribe to idea that no one is born a kleptocrat, they are created.
Abraham Lincoln did say that: “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
And of course, no less ominous is Lord Acton’s “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
But all these are trivial if compared with the fact that the very man, these supporters publicly flayed as a manifestation of corruption, abuser of power and the raison d’etre in their political quest in the last two general elections, is now the nation’s second in command.
And the manner the supporters justifies the collaboration with him – that without him the PM will not be PM and only by becoming PM can the “extremists” not become PM – is as lame as it comes.
Because of his ascension, the PM’s pronouncements of being committed to combatting corruption and abuse of power are rendered hollow.
It is difficult for those who are not ardent fans of the PH Government to not be sceptical and justifiably so as when the PM declares his intent of combatting corruption, the very man they accused of such act, is standing by his side, not only as a mere sidekick but one with power.
Being fans of PH, which now does not necessarily equal to principles and reforms, or at least only partial and selectively, to dismiss such scepticisms now come easy as it is in urging the rest of the nation to move on.
Yet they forget, that those supporting PN and even the insignificant smaller parties, shared one common ground with the PH supporters – that is to ensure that Umno/BN, which is equated to corruption, abuse of power, kleptocracy and represented by the court cluster is totally denied any opportunity to return to power.
If the rest choose to stick to that principle, whilst PH is ready to compromise theirs for whatever reason, the PH is more than a tad presumptive to tell others to move on, just because it is submissive to the new ties.
And being tieless changes nothing.
Shamsul Akmar is an editor at The Malaysian Reserve.
