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Ceramahs in the Time of Stability (Or Something Like It) at Paroi Negeri Sembilan
By Mihar Dias May 2026
There’s an almost lyrical quality about political stability in Malaysia. It tends to arrive breathless, dishevelled, and only after threatening to leave entirely. And just as quickly as it returns, the loudspeakers come out.
The latest grand ceramah in Seremban—complete with a full cast featuring Anwar Ibrahim, Anthony Loke, Gobind Singh Deo, Mohamad Sabu, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, and the embattled Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun—is officially not an election rally. It is merely a gathering. https://newswav.com/A2605_0iFYWl?s=A_Z6YEaKm&language=en. A casual assembly. A spontaneous outpouring of democratic enthusiasm in a stadium parking lot.
Of course it is.
One might ask why, in a state where elections are not due until 2028, and where the government has just narrowly survived a political wobble, such urgency is required. Why the mobilisation? Why the speeches? Why the sudden need to remind everyone that unity, like fine china, must be handled with care and preferably displayed under bright lights?
But that would miss the point.
In Malaysian politics, the absence of an election is often the best time to behave as though one is imminent. It is a bit like carrying an umbrella under a clear sky—not because it is raining, but because one suspects the clouds are merely gathering their thoughts.
The recent drama in Negeri Sembilan—featuring a brief but spirited rebellion by Umno assemblymen led by Jalaluddin Alias, followed by a swift retreat into the comforting embrace of “stability”—has provided the perfect backdrop. https://newswav.com/A2605_0iFYWl?s=A_Z6YEaKm&language=en. A crisis that almost was, a coup that nearly happened, and a resolution that convinces no one but reassures everyone just enough to carry on.
Enter the ceramah.
Officially, it is about explaining the coalition’s position. Unofficially, it is about reminding allies not to wander too far, and opponents not to grow too confident. It is also, one suspects, about reminding voters—those quiet spectators in this theatre—that the cast remains very much in control, even if the script occasionally goes missing.
There is a certain irony in all this. The Unity Government, championed as a model of post-election reconciliation, now finds itself in the peculiar position of constantly rehearsing for an election it insists is nowhere near. Stability, it seems, must be loudly performed to be believed.
Meanwhile, assurances from Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that Barisan Nasional remains committed to the coalition “for now” carry the unmistakable tone of a conditional promise—the political equivalent of “we’ll see how it goes.”
And so, the machinery is placed on standby. Not because elections are imminent, but because they are always, in some sense, possible. In Malaysia, the future does not arrive gradually; it tends to show up unannounced, often at inconvenient hours, demanding immediate attention.
The ceramah, then, is less about campaigning than about anticipation. It is a rehearsal for uncertainty, a show of strength designed as much for internal consumption as for public display. It says: we are united, we are prepared, and we are absolutely not worried—please note how un-worried we are.
Whether the public is convinced is another matter entirely.
For now, the parking lot in Paroi becomes a stage, the speeches a script, and the crisis a convenient prologue. The audience, as always, is expected to applaud at the appropriate moments and reserve judgment for later—preferably at the ballot box, whenever it may next appear.
Until then, stability will continue its curious performance: loud, visible, and just a little too eager to prove itself.
Mihar Dias (mihardias@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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