"That will be my message to young people out there. I felt empowered at 18, that I could do anything, that I will not allow fear to dictate my actions." - Nurul Izzah Anwar
COMMENT | The grand Umno poohbah, now opposition leader, says that the “public” – read, Malays – are unhappy with the Pakatan Harapan government. If that is the case, there would be thousands on the streets, like what happened with the numerous rallies when BN lost the popular vote in 2013.
Remember that. Thousands on the streets, even though we lost, going to post-election rallies. That is rakyat power and not these snivelling NGOs and Rais Yatim (of course) reminding the government of Malay rights.
About the only thing I agree with our current Malay opposition leader – I say Malay, because Umno and PAS only care about the Malay vote - is that Lim Kit Siang should stop stalking him. I mean this with the utmost respect, Mr Kit Siang, but there is neither a need to remind people what a kleptocrat Najib Abdul Razak is, nor is it necessary to remind people how toxic his politics – our? – politics is.Instead of studying every word Najib says, effort should be spent on describing how Harapan intends to remedy the mistakes of the long Umno watch. There is no need to fire up the base anymore.
What someone like Kit Siang should be doing is expanding the base and the way how to do this, to inform people of the reforms that Harapan is in the midst of that would change the lives of Malaysians for the better.
If there is anything to talk about, of course, do talk. Because continuing screeds against Najib is best left to political pundits and not elder statesmen. Kit should be starting conversations on the possible changes in Malaysia and ensuring that political parties in Harapan do not revert to the days of Najib's Birkin Bag democracy.
The Malay far right is like Cardinal Richeliue. All you have to do is give them six lines written by the hand of an honest man, and they will find something to hang him with. In politics, there are no honest men. Hence the Harapan political operatives should be mindful...