YOURSAY | ‘Malaysian politics and expectations have changed.’

Chin Tong: Harapan needs a reset after Malacca defeat

IndigoTrout2522: DAP political education director Liew Chin Tong has been saying the same things since Pakatan Harapan lost a few by-elections over two years ago.

The problem is that Harapan keeps talking about the past but 2021 is not 2018. Now, Harapan had been the government for 22 months and during that there was a lot of turmoil and mistakes were made.

The people now can compare two governments. People see that Harapan did not fulfil its manifesto and was plagued with infighting.

Its strategy now should be the needs of the present and the future. The rakyat don’t see that from Harapan yet.

The coalition is still talking about Najib Abdul Razak and 1MDB but people have other priorities. You keep saying you only lost by a few votes, but a win is a win. And accepting frogs is the worst strategy Harapan could have used.

The immediate reset is for Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Guan Eng, and others to step aside but remain in an advisory role. There are several younger leaders who can lead. They will have new ideas and new approaches. The current leaders are not in touch with the needs of the people.

Its strategy begins here. Go back to the roots to provide for their needs now and future. Be humble and admit your mistakes. Gaining Malay votes is important but losing non-Malay votes is a disaster. The past is the past.

Malaysian politics and expectations have changed a lot since 2018. The euphoria for Harapan is no longer there and you need a different strategy.

Myviews: The writing was on the wall before the Malacca state election but the supreme leader of Harapan refused to listen to feedback from the supporters and grassroots.

The leader who promised formidable support must go. The longer he stays, the more Harapan will lose. That man has too much baggage and little integrity. Accepting frogs to contest under the Harapan banner was an insult to supporters.

Likewise, working with kleptocrats makes him no different from those crooks. While he still has time, please withdraw gracefully and let someone else take over.

Can't find someone within your coalition parties to take over and lead? Then think outside the box. Recruit someone from the outside.

The person need not belong to any political party so long as that person has integrity. They can be a corporate figure who is well-versed with the political leanings of the country, well-informed, moderate in his outlook on the sensitivities of the various races, and last but not least, a strong proponent on reforms for the country.

Aegis: Who can lead Harapan if Anwar retires now? If Umno calls for GE in 2022, would the new leadership be ready? If DAP leaves Harapan, what future does it have?

All Harapan supporters are disappointed and angry about the loss in Malacca. But pinning the blame on just Anwar does not help. If Rafizi Ramli comes back now, will Harapan win immediately? Is it so simple? Can Rafizi and Nurul Izzah Anwar command the respect of all the PKR and Harapan leaders within a short time? Is Rafizi even willing to come back?

Many keep saying the old folks, for example, Lim Kit Siang, should go. But Kit Siang has not been secretary-general of DAP for a very long time. He has been contributing tirelessly and took on very risky seats in the last two GE and won.

Milshah: Many were angry when I said BN would win 20 seats against Harapan’s eight at the start of the Malacca election. The actual result was much worse, with BN winning 21 against Harapan’s five.

Many wanted Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Bersatu out Harapan. Many wanted Anwar to lead Harapan. They got what they wanted. And the result? Harapan lost badly in the elections. Now they are blaming Anwar.

True, Anwar is a factor for the loss due to bad strategy and stubbornness. But the truth is, even if Anwar, Guan Eng, Kit Siang all resigned, Harapan would still lose. Even if Rafizi and Nurul Izzah took over, Harapan would still lose.

Why? Because Harapan had lost the crucial Malay votes. It's too late in the day for Harapan to try to win them. Harapan should have shown they were the better government for 22 months.

It was terrible how issues like Zakir Naik, khat, Malay Dignity Congress, Icerd (International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination), and many more were handled during Harapan’s time.

Ironically when BN does the same thing, it's okay, when Harapan does it, all hell breaks loose. Better BN to lead. I believe BN will win GE15 as the Malays have shifted their vote back to BN.

Malacca polls a lesson for Harapan - Rafizi

Seladang: Anwar must be magnanimous and resign just as DAP’s Malacca chief did. As Kit Siang had analysed, the slim winning margin of 12 seats meant they were within grasp but the contests were lost due to Harapan’s fielding of party hoppers who were taken in by Anwar.

He was solely responsible for triggering the recent Malacca election by instigating the four assemblypersons to switch camps. What was Anwar’s backup strategy when Umno/BN called his bluff by dissolving the state assembly?

Rafizi, grow up, there is no room for sulking. Politics require tough decisive action, and Anwar is past his prime. He should be gracious and become a mentor for new leaders like Rafizi and the like. Please work with Muda to garner the Undi18 new voters coming to the fray.

Better half a pie than none at all!

AmirHamzaHamha: Rafizi, do you seriously think that your views will be accepted by the leadership? How many views and opinions by many past and present people have been rejected? Why must we listen to you and you alone?

If you wish to contribute, attend the meetings, honour your seat, and voice out. Being an armchair critic is nice and easy - if your views are correct you can bask in glory, and if it is wrong, you can always blame those “still inside”.

Be an adult and man your post like the rest of us, and only then, will you have locus standi to speak.

BrownCheetah9736: Rafizi, you are a man of statistics. Here are some numbers you can ask your PKR colleagues to chew on:

Total number of votes obtained:

1. PKR - 28,791 (across 11 constituencies)
2. Bersatu - 46,688 (across 15 constituencies) excluding Gerakan (8,791)(5 constituencies)
3. 3. Amanah - 24,059 (across 9 constituencies)
4. 4. PAS - 22,252 (across 8 constituencies)

The above are assumed to be Malay votes. It is also known that the bulk of Chinese voters did not turn up to vote for the two Chinese PKR candidates, Law Bing Haw and Gue Teck. It is also believed that the 8,000 plus Gerakan votes come from mainly Malay voters.

Despite widespread belief amongst Harapan supporters that Bersatu, being the traitorous party, will be wiped out, they in fact, outpolled PKR or were on par, if calculated on an average per constituency basis. This is shameful.

Not only is PKR losing whatever residual Malay votes they have, they have in fact lost it to the traitorous party. Moreover, PKR had also successfully alienated the Chinese and urban professional votes with their antics and lack of principles. The fact that they didn’t field Ginie Lim is a non-issue as she would have lost anyway (as evidenced by Gue Teck’s loss).

The “religious” vote between the progressive and conservative is roughly split between PAS and Amanah

Many, including DAP, are still under the illusion that the low voter turnout made the difference. Most of those who stayed away were Chinese voters, and while they may have made a difference in a few Chinese swing constituencies, they would not have brought Harapan over the finishing line.

What needs to be addressed is the loss of urban Malay votes, who have abandoned PKR in droves, and more ironically, voted for Bersatu or even Umno.

Quigonbond: There are more than one reason why BN won by two-thirds majority. Traditionally, as long as voting cannot be done by absentees, Harapan is at a disadvantage. Coupled with Covid-19 restriction and controlled media, this feels like an incumbent advantage pre-2018.

But these are old reasons, in a sense that this is the reality Harapan always have to work with. So they need to be better, more visionary, more charismatic. Their messages need to penetrate more than BN’s.

They just need to be better given the disadvantage. If the current leaders are still using the same old methods, which hopefully Malacca demonstrates may no longer be working, it is time to inject fresh ideas/fresh blood into their leadership rank and file.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past 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.