First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
– Mahatma Gandhi, political ethicist
AMONG political allies, there will surely be those high-sounding, boisterous calls for unity and to work together, put personal and party interests aside and ensure that the people are their top priority.
I believe most of us would have heard such sound bites only too often. They do sound hollow at times. Well, the peace and quiet will last as long as times are peaceful and quiet.
However, during time of ‘war’ such as when an election is near, allies will be over each other again, some fighting like cats and dogs, principally over electoral seats.
When allies collaborate, they often face the challenge of distributing seats or positions of power among themselves. This can lead to conflicts as each ally seeks to secure the maximum number of seats for their party.
The tussle for seats is supposed to be a normal affair but when dirty tactics are deployed to smear each other, it becomes a different, negative story.
Elections in six states — Penang, Kedah, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Kelantan and Terengganu — will most likely be held in August, possibly a week or two apart. This is the first time that the state elections are held separate from the general election, due to the political upheavals in the country after the Sheraton Move in 2020.
Currently, the governing coalition and the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) control three states each with observers predicting a status quo result. However, it could also be 4-2 to either side, meaning either Negri Sembilan and Kedah may fall to the opposing camp.
Meantime, the Pakatan Harapan (PH)/Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition may want to tackle the tussle over seats from within seriously. Already, some people have started throwing stones at each other, spewing nasty accusations and calling each other names.
Firstly, Umno supreme council member Lokman Adam’s remarks labelling allies MCA and MIC as “biawak hidup” (dead weight) has courted backlash from the two parties.
Lokman made the reference while commenting on how the two UMNO allies have not been contributing to BN’s performance at the polls.
Wisely, BN chairman and UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has distanced the coalition from the unsavoury outburst, stressing that the BN top brass does not endorse the “personal opinions” voiced by Lokman.
Swift and sound damage control by the deputy prime minister. Well done, Zahid!
Then, it was DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke’s turn to distance his party from Tony Pua’s ‘corrupt BN, Umno’ remark made at a recent DAP gathering in Petaling Jaya.
“Any provocative statement against coalition partners is not in line with the stance and direction of the party”, he said.
An irate Loke reprimanded Pua, stressing that “DAP members who can’t keep their mouth shut on this matter are not welcome to speak on the DAP stage.”
Then, we see the young upstarts in MUDA declaring that the party would be going solo into the coming state elections.
Its president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman explained that the party will no longer be cowed by fear-mongering that going solo would only result in “splitting votes”.
The trouble with Syed Saddiq and MUDA is that they think that their party is the only one representing the youths of Malaysia, conveniently forgetting that there are youth wings in almost all the political parties.
We can recall the number of times Syed Saddiq and MUDA lamented how they were ignored by PH and the unity government, as if they were ready and anxious to be a part of the governing coalition.
But when an election approaches, they changed their tune and condemned MUDA’s former allies for reneging on their election pledges upon assuming power, stating that if they had kept their proposed mandates, MUDA wouldn’t have needed to contest in the state polls.
Syed Saddiq explained that the “new politics” that MUDA will bring into the state polls will go beyond partisan, and will revolve around the people’s needs and principles.
Wow! Great sound bites, young man! I would suggest that you say something new rather than recycling hollow, hypocritical statements made by people your grandfather’s age about principles and looking after the people’s needs. They are stale, overused and sound really boring.
With the decision to go solo, and contesting against PH/BN coalition in the coming polls, it clearly shows that MUDA is an insincere and untrustworthy party. The governing coalition should sever all ties with MUDA from now on.
Meantime, it is crucial to find a fair and acceptable seat-sharing arrangement for maintaining the strength and longevity of the Madani coalition.
Allies in the government must bear in mind that negative remarks or bad-mouthing can create divisions within the alliance and damage the public perception of the coalition as a cohesive and effective force.
Perhaps, everyone should go back and listen to these wise words of advice from our good mother: “If you have nothing good to say about another person, it’s better not to open your mouth at all.”
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
