Sri Aman MP Datuk Masir Kujat really made quite a splash when he made that jump off the PRS ship on March 7.
Known for being one who was quiet, went about his work quietly and spoke with a certain quiet restraint, that splash of his really broke with tradition in as far as the man was concerned.
Everyone on the PRS deck was enjoying the breeze and everyone was not ready to get wet by the murky water of Batang Lupar.
PRS president Tan Sri Dr James Masing and his boys were taken by surprise. Everyone was, except, of course, Masir.
Apparently, for once he decided to be rude, broke the rule and broke ranks. He jumped, got everyone wet and red-faced. And like Batang Lupar’s Bujang Senang, he too created waves, which rocked the PRS ship.
Dr Masing tried to project a cool façade but the sarcasm he had for Masir was more than revealing. He just couldn’t hide his anger and disappointment for ingrates.
So why did Masir do what he did?
Obviously he was not happy where he was, and thought where he is, is where he should be.
Just like everybody else, Masir has every right to choose to associate, but the thing is he did so when Malaysian politics today is more fluid than it ever was. Masir, it would seem, is a sign of a sinister game at play. Many out there think there are unseen hands involved.
Some said it’s a PRS crisis. Others said it’s a PRS and SUPP crisis. Still others said it’s a GPS crisis. They think it’s a crisis because they believe in the involvement of unseen hands.
Why, they asked, would a government MP choose to join an opposition party, or rather a GPS-friendly party, if you like, but opposition, nonetheless?
To me it has not yet reached a crisis level, but we are going that direction because Masir is just the tip of the iceberg.
No, Masir would not have decided to join PSB if he knew it would remain in the opposition through GE15.
Now, if he knew PSB would be part of the government soon, therefore, he was joining a soon-to-be ruling government party, then, he must have full knowledge of where he is heading to.
Yes, I would love to see how the GPS leadership will resolve the issue – GPS style.
BN has long ceased to exist, thus any decision by GPS should not end in an impasse as had happened many times before.
BN had failed to address the issue of party-hopping involving coalition members, and between coalition members and the opposition. Will GPS do better?
But GPS cannot address the Masir issue until and unless PSB is a member of the ruling coalition.
Look at it this way, if Masir had jumped to Bersatu, would GPS try to bring Bersatu to the negotiation table? Bersatu is a member of PH and GPS is PH-friendly, therefore Bersatu is GPS-friendly, no?
The way I see it, PSB has never been in a hurry to join GPS. In fact, it never bothered with wanting to apply to join GPS despite some olive branches held out to it by some GPS leaders.
Sometime in early February, when asked if he was applying to join GPS, Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh was reported as saying he would “cross the bridge” when his party’s application for a name change was approved.
By end of February UPP became PSB, and on March 7, instead of crossing the bridge, Soon Koh and gang seemed to have burnt it down.
How many times have Soon Koh and company sat down with GPS regarding their entry into the coalition? Or rather, how many times have they met with the GPS president to discuss their future direction, if indeed there is anything more to just being GPS-friendly?
On Sept 21, 2018 Wong led a UPP delegation to meet up with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and the next day it was reported that, “This marked the third time Wong had met with Dr Mahathir in person ever since he was sworn in as the seventh Malaysian prime minister after the 14th general election in May.”
In recent weeks Dr Mahathir has been strengthening his party, admitting some Umno MPs, getting support from PAS and extending olive branch to several parties in Sabah.
I don’t believe he is leaving Sarawak out of his equation.
