Much has been said about the possibility of Pakatan Rakyat seizing the Federal government before the next general elections by accepting crossover MPs from Barisan Nasional. Is it or is it not going to happen? De facto PR leader Anwar Ibrahim seems pretty confident that it will happen although many others think it is just political posturing.
Aside from the suspense of wondering whether it will happen or not, the issue is complicated by a minefield of moral and ethical questions. There are some who hold the view that forming a government by enticing ‘jumping MPs’ is totally immoral and should never be considered as it runs counter to the will of the people. This is a valid point but Anwar Ibrahim’s position is that such ethical considerations are moot as the elections were unfair and fraudulent in the first place. In his view, PR would have gained enough seats to form the Federal government if the elections had been fair and free including the use of indelible ink.
Then there are political pay-backs to be considered. Many in the public may be justified in assuming that ‘jumping MPs’ are not of high moral character to begin with and are doing so for some personal gain, if not financial then for positions of power. We should not be too cynical and allow for some MPs to switch sides due to differences in ideology with the party although it beggars the question of why they stood under the party flag in the first place. But the numbers needed to topple the BN government means that PR cannot be too strict with interpreting their intentions.
What this means is that Pakatan Rakyat may be saddled with having to settle political debts to these party hoppers which may become a huge liability later and impinge on its ability to govern transparently with no tolerance for corruption. This is a real concern and should give pause to the PR leaders of taking over the Federal government via a shortcut.
Another camp says that PR should focus on governing the states under its control and do much better than BN has ever done which is not really difficult given BN’s corrupted and arrogant rule riddled with widespread abuses of power. If PR can do that, it should sweep the next general elections easily and give BN a taste of life in the opposition. Contingent on the PR state governments not falling apart due to quarrel and bickering, this is a very real possibility indeed.
On the other hand, the proponents of a quick change have some valid points of their own. It is clear that the BN government will not change its old habits of corruption, cronyism and racism except for some cosmetic changes to deflect public criticism. The resources of the country will continue to be abused for personal gain for the next five years. Real reforms like repealing the ISA and freeing the press are not on BN’s agenda. Racial policies which divide the people and hold back the country’s competitiveness will continue to dominate. Petty and vengeful actions like cutting off Federal funds to PR governed states have already begun. It is almost too long to wait for the next elections.
Furthermore, it must be pointed out that no corrupt regime ever gives up power graciously. Like Zimbabwe’s Mugabe, all sorts of tricks, threats and intimidation may be used to win the next elections including massive outright cheating. How about another Operation Lallang under a hard line prime minister? And if nothing works, a last resort may be to declare an emergency on some stage managed pretext and rule by decree. Some say that now may be the only window of opportunity ever for Pakatan Rakyat to form the Federal government.
Both camps have valid points so what are PR leaders to do? Should they throw away the chance of ruling the country on moral grounds or grab it on emergency grounds? Is there any way to resolve this dilemma?
I think there is. There is a way for PR to accept the ‘party hoppers’ to topple the government and not pay a moral or political price. If indeed Anwar Ibrahim has the numbers, he should go ahead and seize the seat of power. Then the new government should give itself six months to repeal all draconian laws especially the ISA, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the OSA and Universities and University Colleges Act. Real reforms to repair democratic institutions damaged by Dr Mahathir Mohamad such as the ACA, the judiciary, the police, the Attorney-General Chambers and not forgetting the Election Commission should be pushed through within this time period. The NEP should be replaced with the Malaysian Economic Agenda which promises fair treatment to all races. If possible, the constitution should be amended to safeguard future abuse with the cooperation of opposition MPs.
After six months, Pakatan Rakyat should dissolve Parliament and call general elections to obtain a fresh mandate from the people. By doing this, all political debts are wiped out and the party’s moral right to govern will no longer be in question if it wins the elections which in every likelihood it will.
