YOURSAY | ‘The trust deficit is something Harapan has to strive hard to restore.’

Harapan commits to earlier decision of Anwar as PM candidate

Proarte: It’s about time Harapan commits to the mandate given to them by the rakyat in the last election.

PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim was to be the prime ministerial candidate from the outset but it could not be realised because Anwar was in jail as a result of a similar 1998 Dr Mahathir Mohamad script used by his protégé Najib Abdul Razak.

Mahathir was allowed to be the “seat warmer” PM for Anwar until such time Anwar was pardoned by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The rest is history but let us not forget that Mahathir betrayed Harapan by resigning from the prime minister’s post thus bringing about the collapse of the Harapan government.

Harapan should start by talking up the 2018 manifesto which was betrayed by the turncoats in Bersatu and the Azmin Ali gang in PKR. It must articulate point by point the reform process which will take place, which must be realistic without any false promises made.

The trust deficit by the rakyat is something Harapan has to strive hard to restore. There must be a clear departure from the racist and bigoted modus operandi of Harapan under Mahathir which caused its collapse.

Harapan must never be unprincipled like Perikatan Nasional (PN) which sees politics as a “game of thrones” where the ultimate objective is to grab power and not to fulfil the mandate and honour the manifesto.

Harapan must forget about grabbing power through Mahathirist means: political betrayals exemplified by Bersatu and turncoat PKR politicians, lying about the manifesto, and thus cheating the rakyat.

Harapan must break away from the abuse of Mahathirism, otherwise, it will never be able to reform the country. It needs to outline a clear set of principles and stick to it as the opposition.

The prerequisite is an unflinching commitment to treat each citizen with equal dignity and worth. There must be no fear of “spooking” anybody if it is done in the interest of justice and good governance.

The racially and religiously bigoted policy of Malay and Islamic supremacy which has informed politics in Malaysia must be relegated to the dustbin of history. There must be a united political philosophy that defines Harapan.

Clever Voter: Harapan has to stand on its principles by being the only coalition that truly represents Malaysians.

Its endorsement of Anwar as PM candidate should be a strength rather than a weakness. The reality is that they have little time to prepare for the next elections.

Given the swing towards PN, Anwar should not waste time trying to court partners of PN but focus on winning back voters.

Fair Play: Finally, both DAP and Amanah came to their senses and stayed true to their original plan for Anwar as Harapan’s prime ministerial candidate.

What is even more important is this - Anwar, as the Harapan leader, has been given the power to negotiate with other political parties for the purpose of forming a coalition government if they have the numbers to do so after GE15.

Harapan (DAP, PKR, Amanah) with some 91 MPs (DAP 42, PKR 38, Amanah 11) is clearly the largest official political coalition today. Smaller non-aligned political parties and independent politicians may see Harapan as a better bet in GE15.

Politics is a numbers game. With this move, Mahathir had already played his last card and lost.

The Wakandan: After what happened, Harapan had no choice but to go back to basics.

The major partners of the coalition were PKR, DAP, and Amanah. Bersatu came in later and Warisan was supposed to be part of Mahathir's Bersatu but somehow became independent of him. Then he set up Bersatu in Sabah, much to the dismay of Warisan.

His involvement in Harapan brought more pain than joy. Their government was but an illusion. Much time has been wasted.

The gamble of taking Mahathir proved to be a misadventure and they paid the price. Thus, going back to basics means that win or lose, at least it will be purely on their own efforts and not some false glory and expectation.

Apa Harapan: Stay united and strong. If PN cannot be dislodged for now, so be it. Start preparing for the next election or when PN implodes.

The leftover of Bersatu is dead so far as Harapan is concerned. They can follow Mahathir into oblivion or join the crooks in Umno.

BrownCheetah9736: This is a long-overdue decision. Whether Harapan can win the next election or Anwar can be prime minister is a separate matter.

The first order of business was always to remove the bull in the China shop. It’s time to put the most divisive, racist, dishonourable, untrustworthy dictator/non-team coalition player to bed, once and for all.

Whether Warisan leader Shafie Apdal wants to join PN or stay in partnership with Harapan, he can now make his own independent decision. The voters will judge him accordingly.

Odysseus: Yes, this is the right decision. As a coalition, you can exercise the power of 91 MPs. Don't ever let anyone break you up.

If anyone wants to negotiate, please negotiate with Anwar plus DAP and Amanah chiefs together.

Furthermore, please respect the support given by the rakyat to Harapan. Your opinion is just an opinion. Respect the will of the rakyat and return the mandate to them.

Mahathir, please read the above. It’s meant for you.

IndigoTrout2522: Harapan has finally made a decision that will stabilise and unite the coalition. It can now make plans for its next move.

Hopefully, Mahathir will not feel slighted as he had already withdrawn from being the prime minister candidate and also this is just reinforcing the mandate of GE14.

Harapan needs the help and support of Mahathir and Shafie to regain Putrajaya and they will have a big role in a Harapan government with Anwar leading. The interest of the rakyat must come first.

The support of Sabah and Sarawak is crucial for the stability and success of a government.

Going forward, no more squabbling or washing dirty laundry in public, please. Do your negotiations or air your opinions or complaints through internal channels.

VisionX: Finally, the prime minister candidate impasse is over. Now, Anwar must use his oratory skills to convince and motivate the people that Harapan will be a better government to PN.

Barack Obama did that successfully and that’s how he became a two-term US president easily. Anwar should do the same.

GrayRabbit2229: Now that the three original parties of the Harapan coalition are back on track, start work now on the next general election or snap polls which have been predicted to happen sooner than later.

When it is time to vote, the voters will punish the traitors, frogs, horse traders, and opportunists because their conduct has sickened observers by their lack of principles. Frankly speaking, such conduct is an insult to the intelligence of the voters.

OrangeQuokka8338: No matter what happens - win or lose - I would choose Harapan because I believe under Anwar’s leadership, there would be a new Malaysia where Malaysians can proudly call themselves Malaysian.

I believe Malaysians are tired of the BN/PN “divide and rule” policy.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.