Opposition and Anwar Ibrahim - make no mistake on your sincerity and integrity. The events in the next couple of weeks, leading to whether Anwar will contest a by-election will demonstrate to the people of Malaysia whether they have indeed made the right choice by voting in the opposition in five state. But the People are troubled by some post-election developments.
A message to the opposition:
1. Many people voted you in not because how good you were or will be, but more because they just wanted to throw out the other guy and deny a two-thirds majority to the ruling coalition.
2. If you walk your talk, you must never do what the other guy has been doing all these past decades. The electorate wishes to see real change, sincerity and integrity; not making deals and bargains wrapped in exchange for cabinet positions for - this will make the opposition no different from the incumbent ruling class.
Any mistake on the part of the opposition in strategy will bring a serious backlash and that mistake has the high risk of throwing Malaysia into a state of chaos and instability. This is a serious matter.
On the other hand, if the opposition and Anwar Ibrahim can be a little more patient, taking things one step at a time and acting with integrity and sincerity, this can be a historic opportunity. Any tactic that involves trading of bargaining for power would diminish all hope that we are entering a era.
For we believe that any of those MPs who cross over just because they did not get their so-called ‘rewards’ in government position would do no good for the opposition. All cabinet and government positions are positions to provide service for the rakyat - not positions as rewards for winning the election. It will serve the opposition well to remember that.
Do the people of Malaysia have the assurance of PAS and DAP balancing the ambition of Anwar and PKR? Can Anwar rise to be a true leader for all Malaysians and that his present struggle is a fulfilment of his long-time political vision to make Malaysia truly multiracial and progressive, and not that he is getting even with Umno. By and large, it was not BN or Umno that wronged him, it was Dr Mahathir Mohamad who did.
The people of Malaysia ought to pray and work to see a reformed BN in spite of the difficulties within the ruling coalition to change. We are striving to have two strong parties for only in having credible choices could the people's well-being be safeguarded. BN would need to act swiftly to reinvent and prove itself as much time and opportunity has been wasted. For example, the naming the new cabinet presented a real opportunity but BN missed that.
The people of Malaysia wish to see a gradual change with the oppositioin settling and building its governing teams. Many of the candidates in the opposition do not have the credentials to be government leaders; they were put together and got voted in by the wave for change. These new YBs must be aware of that.
They must now accelerate their learning and find out exactly what is expected of them and rise up to the occasion. Anwar must further consolidate his colaition’s power and assure the people of his intentions. At the same time, give BN time to change so that the next election would present people with a real choice.
If the current opposition then does get to form the federal government; it would be very credible because people voted them in to form the federal government. For the recent elections, by and large, the people of Malaysia only wanted to deny BN its tow-thirds majority - not all the way to have the opposition running the country yet.
Events have their own turn. The people, while willing to give the opposition a chance to govern five states, are still tentative about the outcome. All eyes are on the governments in these five states. Waiting for one more term may be the right thing to do before going for the federal government.
There is real opportunity here for Anwar Ibrahim. If he succeeds in bringing about democratic change to Malaysia in an honest, clean and credible way; he will go down in world history as a national leader who could go beyond racialism to embrace the larger interests. If Anwar does that, the people of Malaysia will nominate him for the Nobl Peace Prize - for setting the world on the right track and for bringing hope to all societies plagued by racial struggles.
