APRIL 9 —It’s never a good sign when someone tries to defend failure by pointing to another person and saying that lot’s worse. That’s like Putrajaya saying we’re better off than Zimbabwe.
But that’s exactly what Praba Ganesan and others did when Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) low attendance at the first reading of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) was called into question.
They say voters should not criticise the opposition when it was Barisan Nasional (BN) that proposed the bill. Sure, but it’s a given that the people who voted in PR MPs have few expectations of the ruling coalition.
The same can’t be said of their expectations of PR.
What’s expected is a measure of fortitude, not excuses. What’s expected is for elected representatives carry the aspirations of their electorates to Parliament.
What’s truly unforgiveable, however, is the defeatist attitude demonstrated by these apologists. They say it wouldn’t have mattered anyway, that BN would have delayed the vote and made sure there were enough bodies on their side.
Then why show up at Parliament at all? BN has a simple majority in the lower house, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. So why go through the motions for any other bill put up for a vote?
The reason is simple. It’s the same reason people tune in to watch their team lose at football, a team that has no hope of topping the league.
People want to know their side had a real go at it, whatever the forgone conclusion. People want to see heart. People want to see lawan tetap lawan.
After all, if the opposition doesn’t believe in themselves, why should we?
** This is the view of the individual and does not necessarily represent the opinion of Malay Mail Online.
