Just as the Covid-19 crisis is about to let up, the political horse-trading and psywar by Pakatan Harapan and Tun Dr Mahathir intensifies. As if still not satisfied with the Agong’s confidence in the current government, Pakatan Harapan and Mahathir’s operatives are still hard at work to convince, especially the MPs to crossover so that Perikatan National may fall.
The question then is: Fall to whom - Mahathir or Anwar? According to the Registrar of Societies, Mahathir is no longer in PPBM. Challenging the matter in court is a separate issue. As of the present moment, Mahathir is merely an independent MP who is an ally of Pakatan Harapan. And unless he agrees again, to support Anwar as the potential Prime Minister, there is no way these two men can work together.
Neither is Perikatan Nasional strong; but it is definitely more stable than having two men at each other’s throats all the time. As economists indicate, there is a looming recession in the months to come due to Covid-19. We simply cannot allow more power struggles to divert our attention away from economic recovery.
At this juncture, no other MPs from the PN bloc are interested in upsetting the current government. There is simply no point in doing so as the parliament seating is just two months away, with the next general election being less than three years away. It is then safe to assume that whatever claims that Salahuddin Ayub made about wresting power before July is just rubbish. Should anyone really have the numbers, they would have kept quiet and not blabber about it openly.
In the last general elections, UMNO and PAS combined had the majority popular votes. Hence, Pakatan Harapan should not claim to have the people’s mandate which is akin to pulling wool over the voter’s eyes.
Perikatan Nasional may not be formalised and may still have teething problems. However, the move by our Prime Minister to take charge of the country at a time when the two men were fighting was a correct move which saved our country from plunging into an abyss. Whatever lies in the future is yet to be seen but for the moment, Muhyiddin has done his level best and steered our country out of troubled waters.
It can also be surmised that only those ex-ministers and deputy ministers who are bitter over their loss of positions are longingly and desperately trying to reinstate themselves through the wresting of power. Otherwise, nothing much changes - MPs are still MPs.
Therefore, Pakatan Harapan and Mahathir should stop trying to unseat the government and instead help to strengthen the economy on the road to recovery. That will truly be beneficial for the rakyat. The fight for political power must have its place and time. Now is simply not the right time.
