“No, sir, I'm afraid not, no sir. I yielded the floor once before, if you can remember, and I was practically never heard of again. No sir. And we might as well all get together on this yielding business right off the bat, now.”

– Mr Smith Goes to Washington

COMMENT | Rafizi Ramil has chosen to reenter the political fray when PKR’s stock is at its lowest.

PKR, often described as the weak link in Pakatan Harapan, has not only suffered electoral setbacks but is considered a party incapable of leadership because the prime minister in perpetual waiting, Anwar Ibrahim, has made moves that have not only destabilised his party but also threatened the viability of the coalition he supposedly leads.

In his posting about his return to active political life, Rafizi made it clear he wants to stake out the multiethnic middle ground. What this means remains to be seen, especially since the political dynamic of the various political parties in Harapan adhere to the old Umno/BN formula which Harapan (especially the DAP) always downplays with the Bangsa Malaysia kool-aid.

Rafizi has already fired his opening salvo, eliciting various responses from various groups within Harapan, about teaming up with Perikatan Nasional for the next election, which he described as “madness”.

Huddling together like frightened children is not a new electoral strategy. It is as though Harapan was never...