Saifuddin's choice — Tay Tian Yan

OCT 20 — The day before, I asked Saifuddin Abdullah where he would be going, and he confirmed that he would be joining PKR.

I wasn’t feeling concerned or pleasantly surprised. Instead, I had mixed feelings over his choice.

Flashing back, there have been signs Saifuddin would eventually turn to PKR.

I used to ask him why he opted Umno. And he said he had only Umno and PAS to choose from at that time, as PKR had yet to be formed.

While Umno is a monoracial party, it is also a component of Barisan Nasional which boasts a fair mix of different communities. He chose Umno for Malay solidarity.

“But if PKR was already there, I would have gone for it instead.”

A person’s political journey could be something very unpredictable, and after beating around for some time, he chose to move over to PKR.

But, that doesn’t therefore mean that he joined the wrong party in the first place. Being a progressive and moderate Malay gentleman, he should have exerted his exceptional potentials and catalyzed the much needed changes within Umno, if his party had appreciated him a little more.

If we are unable to eliminate or completely overhaul a massive traditional political machine like Umno, we can only look to new blood in the likes of Saifuddin Abdullah to institute some changes from within.

Saifuddin indeed had such an opportunity. When PM Najib was pushing his “1Malaysia” concept, he brought in several new, liberal and progressive faces, one of whom Saifuddin.

He was appointed a deputy minister in 2008 after being elected the MP for Temerloh. His performance gave people an impression that he would eventually be promoted to a full ministerial post, and become one of the key future leaders of the nation.

He was running in front of his party in pushing ahead the reform agenda. He supported Bersih 2.0 and dissident students, much to the frustration of his party comrades. That said, so long as Najib was still moving on the track of reform, Saifuddin could still play his role.

Unfortunately the champion of moderation was thumped by one of PAS’ fiercest conservatives Nasrudin Hassan in 2013 elections, an outcome seen by many as simply inconceivable.

The overall GE results made it very difficult for Najib to press on with his reform agenda, and this more or less spelled an end to Saifuddin’s prospects in the party. With the rightists gaining more ground in Umno, the more liberal were either marginalized or forced to change course.

He didn’t move over, but to Umno, he has become dispensable. Nevertheless, the Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) led by him has avidly promoted the concept of moderation, winning itself high respects at home and in the international community.

He attended the opposition meetings and the launch of Pakatan Harapan in his capacity as the CEO of GMM. This has somehow incensed his Umno comrades, triggering calls for disciplinary action against him. This could have killed the last remaining faith he had in the party, leading to his eventual departure.

I am not particularly delighted by Saifuddin’s decision to join PKR because his departure will least alter the political reality of Umno’s continued strength. In its stead, it signifies the loss of one reckoned force of moderation within the party.

I am also not saddened by his departure, as he might find some new chances in PKR, now that there is no chance at all for him to perform in Umno.

Indeed in the past PKR successfully lured a large number of elite politicians with lofty ambitions and ideals, people such as Chandra Muzaffar, Zaid Ibrahim, etc. before they were consumed by a largely family-run modus operandi and ongoing factional conflicts.

Will Saifuddin be the next to go down the same way? For how long will be stay intact? Will his new party ever appreciate his intrinsic strength?

In Saifuddin I can see a tortuous and risky path awaiting any moderate Malay politician.

The Malay community would not embrace him, as he is “less Malay and less religious” than many. And in non-Malay community, he is often perceived as someone “from the other side”, which explains his defeat in the 2013 general elections.

Many have overlooked the fact that such moderate politicians are the ones who will bridge the gap between the two opposing sides. If given the chance, they will bring people from different political affiliations, religions, ideologies — people from the two extremes — towards the middle, to a position that is more fitting for Malaysia.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.