MARCH 2 — I will just say I told you so, and I’ll leave it at that.
With the government now in turmoil and economy losing confidence by the day, it is time to put pass the decision of who to run Malaysia back to the people of Malaysia. Not the select few in the Dewan Rakyat, but those on the ground, through a general election.
Looking at the situation now, whoever wins will have such a narrow lead in Parliament that any progress will face filibuster or even threaten yet another government collapse leading to yet another one-week Cerekarama session that nobody on the ground asked for.
And thus, it is time to get a fresh mandate from the Malaysian people.
If there are those who are saying not to call an election for fear of losing, then I really weep for your concept of democracy being put aside for the sake of power. That is selfish, and you should know better after saying the people should be heard on this matter.
We must push for maturity in politics and as such, once a government collapses, it is over and the people should once again decide who should run the country.
Malaysians should not have had to witness that septic tank show of horse trading sessions where political loyalties kept switching by the hour to the point that journalists asked for time stamps on press releases from MPs and political parties.
To those who screamed you didn’t vote for this, fine. Now, let us get the decision making process back to all Malaysians, and let them decide — because I am sure there are those who did not vote for Anwar Ibrahim to become the next PM, nor did they vote for Umno and PAS to take over.
However, to continue this horse trading and shifting alliances, a government with such a small majority, will lead to further decline in our country and also the trust of voters in your political parties and even democracy — that is dangerous.
Some have argued that it is too expensive, in the hundreds of millions. Some have gone to suggest RM800 million. Honestly, the shenanigans in politics last week wiped off RM43.4 billion from the stock market, so no, it isn’t.
Furthermore, that RM800 million is the price we all pay with added on inflation since 2018 to maintain a working democracy, which will have a mandate for the next five years.
You have to replace it and there are no backdoor deals that can fix it on either side. It is the price we all have to pay for a voided warranty of five years when the government coalition fell apart.
It is costly, but that is the price we all pay for the trust politicians placed in their won allies that betrayed them.
And so when parliament reconvenes, I hope it is immediately dissolved to call for a general election, to get a fresh mandate from the people, with DYMM Yang Di-Pertuan Agong’s blessing.
Whoever wins then, will run the country for another five years allowing our country to stabilise politically and economically, hopefully without another internal party scuffle leading to what transpired last week.
Whoever loses, it is time to regroup and try again in five years.
Of course, some have cynically asked me if I am going to promote #undirosak again.
Well, it depends — do you still trust Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed and his PPBM party, of which all six defectors in the Pakatan camp right now are still a member of at time of writing?
The six of them seem very eager to get sacked from their party, but don’t seem that eager to leave on their own free will, for some reason.
And also, what’s in your next manifesto? I’ll look forward to reading it.
See, unlike Dr Mahathir, I do see manifesto promises as seriously as bibles and all other holy books. So I’ll look at what you’re offering for my vote, even if the MP of Shah Alam was extremely confusing on Twitter during this whole debacle.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
