| | Feudal politics vs Gentleman politicsToday, as I was browsing the Star (which has been providing reasonably good post-election coverage, I must say. Good in comparison to what? Shouldn't be too hard to figure out  ). Anyway, as everyone is coming to terms with the huge change this election signifies (read this post to understand why this change is implied and not actual, yet), here's a quote from a leader in BN which I feel cannot be passed by.
IPOH: The DAP has revealed its “true face” to the people by cooperating
with PAS to form the next state government, Perak MCA chief Datuk Ong
Ka Chuan said.
“All this while, the DAP has been denying that it is working with PAS
when they sought the support of the Chinese community in Perak during
the campaigning period,” he said.
“After getting their votes, the DAP is doing otherwise,” he said
yesterday when commenting on the new ruling coalition government of the
DAP, PKR and PAS.
The DAP, he said, should apologise to the voters for having duped them
about not working together with PAS when wooing them before the
just-concluded polls.
Ong, who is also the MCA secretary-general, said the DAP might even go
to the extent of allowing a PAS leader to be the new Mentri Besar.
“How are they going to explain to the Chinese community? The DAP had not been honest right from the start,” he asked.
The DAP should have told the community right from the beginning that
they were cooperating with PAS so that the voters would be able to make
a wise decision at the ballot box, he said.
“Now the DAP is doing otherwise. I feel sad that the situation has become like this,” he added.
“The people gave the DAP their trust and this is how the DAP is
repaying them – by working with an Islamist party,” said the
newly-elected Tanjong Malim MP.
Text taken from N8, the Star, Tuesday, 11th March 2008.
On the very next sheet, without hint of irony, is this story.
KOTA BARU: PAS has decided to offer a state executive councillor's post to DAP's Lee Guan Aik in Kedah.
PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa said although there was no formal
electoral pact with the DAP, the Islamist party decided to offer a post
in the exco line-up to the DAP.
Kedah DAP secretary Lee defeated Chong Itt Chew by a 804-vote majority for the Kota Darul Aman seat.
“It is our way of showing our gratitude for their support to the loose
coalition and also the support that PAS had received from the Chinese,”
said Husam.
The Opposition swept 22 of the 36 state seats in Kedah, with PAS winning 16, PKR four and the DAP and Independent one each. Text taken from N10, the Star, Tuesday, 11th March 2008.
The comments by Ong Ka Chuan just smack of sour grapes to me, and miss the entire point of the political process. DAP CANNOT form the state government (in fact the state's constitution even prohibits a non-Malay from serving as MB, which is fair enough considering the history of these states), they do not have a majority in seats. And so, there is compromise with other parties. Compromise in the realm of politics is good. It encourages dialogue, tempers fanaticism. PAS cannot have their way in Perak, neither can DAP. As such, it is a COALITION government, the same type of government which BN, and by extension Ong Ka Chuan's own MCA, trumpet every 5 years or so as the only possible formula for a peaceful Malaysia.
The first irony is that on the next page, PAS have invited a DAP candidate (the only winning DAP candidate in Kedah, in fact) to be part of the state government. PAS and their partners PKR have an absolute majority in Kedah, they don't need any more numbers to form the government. What possible reason could they have for inviting a DAP member to join the government? Could it be *gasp* that they're actually interested in working together? And not just in converting the bunch of us and throwing us back into 15th-century Arabia?
The second irony is a more national one. Ong Ka Chuan's comments right at the end of the article demonize Islamist parties (in this case he's talking about PAS). Now, leaving aside the fact that such demonization and polarization is very dangerous in a multi-racial and multi-cultural society, I can think of one other party in Malaysia which behaves as an Islamist party. A party whose leaders have for the past decade been trumpetting Malaysia as an 'Islamic country', whatever that means. A party which has always threatened the general public not to bring up any issues against the 'special rights and position' of the Malays and of Islam.
And so the crux of this second irony is that this party, which does not need to be named to any Malaysian above the age of 15, is in a permanent coalition with Ong Ka Chuan's own MCA.
The coalition of DAP and PAS (with PKR as bridge, more specifically Anwar) may yet fail. They may collapse into infighting or be consumed with corruption. They may destroy the 5 states they've taken over (which would be bad for Malaysia, considering Penang and Selangor are the 2 most productive and prosperous states). It is possible, though I don't think it likely.
But Malaysia being a democracy, DAP, PAS, and PKR have been chosen by the people. The rakyat. And Ong Ka Chuan should accept that, in the manner of Gerakan's president Koh Tsu Koon. Mr. Koh's exact words on Saturday night, after he had just recieved the multiple blows of losing both his seat and Gerakan's state, were just so gentlemanly.
"I want to urge the people to give their full
support to the leaders they have chosen. Give your new leaders a chance
to perform. This is also what I told the civil servants.We may have different opinions on policies but I must accept the views of the people."
And that's how politics should be conducted, because in the end the rakyat have the right to choose, whether you THINK they've chosen rightly or wrongly.
P.S. - and a reminder to all, please continue to pray for our country. Things can either get very bad soon, or improve in the long term. The short-term will likely be difficult. Keep praying, because God is in control.
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