While PM Anwar Ibrahim has maintained cordial relations with old pal Zahid Hamidi and UMNO, purportedly to keep the Unity Government running, hasn't that come at the expense of DAP and the non-Malays?
Following the outcome of the recent Johor state election, the question that has once more come to the fore is: is it not time for DAP to withdraw from the Madani administration and critically review its place in the Pakatan Harapan coalition?
Surely by now, it should be as clear as daylight that DAP’s association with Anwar’s Madani government has become the proverbial millstone unfairly dragging down the party and its own supporters!
Amid the rise of ethno-nationalists and religious fundamentalists, Anwar and PH had seemed like the only viable beacon of hope for the non-Malay population in this multiracial country—but hasn't the latter been badly let down, not just at the federal level but at the state level too?
Remember the recent uproar over the much-maligned guidelines for non-Muslim houses of worship in PH-ruled Selangor?
The truth is, non-Malays have always looked to Anwar as their iconic redeemer. However, isn't he now widely perceived to have sidelined them in order to pander to the demands of religious conservative elements in the country—ostensibly to neutralize the growing influence of PAS?
In fact, what some hardcore Madani critics may well ask is: does Anwar seriously care for the non-Malays as much as he cares for his own ethnic group? No doubt, many will recall his infamous argument with an Indian female student regarding the highly contentious issue of meritocracy in the national higher education system.
As some would contend, wasn't that classic proof that not all are equal under Madani?
What about the controversial issue of the century-old Hindu temple in the KL city centre? Yes, an alternative site was duly allotted nearby. But didn't Anwar and his Madani administration make it loud and clear to the whole nation where their priority and loyalty lay?
Didn't the so-called “kuil haram” issue also eventually escalate into a massive slap in the face for the minority Indian-Hindu community in the country?
Meanwhile, although the recent Johor poll results may not be a bellwether for how things might pan out post-GE16, they do give sufficient warning to DAP that it has to initiate drastic action: it can no longer conveniently hide behind its often-despised mantra—that one cannot act like an opposition party while being part of the federal government!
After all, if UMNO, also part of the Madani administration, has no qualms about aggressively throwing its weight around, why shouldn't DAP?
Likewise, even PAS, which is not in the federal government, is often openly vocal about its own Islamist agenda. As such, shouldn't DAP be equally loud in safeguarding the rights of the minorities?
What exactly is holding it back then? Perhaps, the same reasons that held back MCA and MIC under BN rule?
Political stability at the expense of its own principles?
It is a no-brainer that despite holding the highest number of parliamentary seats in the PH coalition with 40, DAP continues to play the humble, submissive partner—even allegedly succumbing to the demands of UMNO, which has far less representation in the Dewan Rakyat.
As it stands, in the eyes of millions of PH faithful, surely Anthony Loke as the party head is answerable for this state of affairs. Even the so-called "July deadline" that DAP had audaciously set earlier seems to have passed—yet to date, nothing firm appears to have emerged as to the party’s latest stance or its future trajectory.
From a proud, fearless party that was once renowned for its clear and principled stand, has DAP now become indecisive, elusive, and even unsure of its own political bearings?
The party’s top brass may be able to stomach the humiliation inflicted on them continuously by UMNO—but is it fair to expect their supporters to endure the same indignity?
Actually, haven't DAP supporters made it clear umpteen times that they have had enough of the likes of UMNO Youth and its alleged “bullying” behaviour?
Yet, did the party leadership ever bother to take the bull by the horns and pressure Anwar to penalize UMNO?
Or maybe it is time to eject UMNO from the Madani alliance then…
While they sit at the same table in Putrajaya, did DAP leaders ever dare to tell off UMNO cabinet ministers to censure the alleged toxic behaviour of its youth wing, which has continued to hurt the sensitivities of the Chinese and other minorities?
And what about the Madani government's perceived biased stance, especially in the never-ending controversies surrounding the halal certification issue, brewery sponsorship in vernacular schools, and more recently, pig farming?
To DAP’s long-suffering supporters, the Johor polls should be the “final straw” for the party to review its position in the Madani setup. True, many of its traditional support base who are working and residing elsewhere may have chosen not to return to vote—but did the party leadership seriously look into the actual underlying reasons?
Was it really voter fatigue—or was it voter frustration with the party?
Are DAP's top leaders willing to admit the uncomfortable truth that they have lost much of their credibility in the eyes of their own loyal supporters?
The thing is, while the likes of the outspoken Nga Kor Ming continue to push back fearlessly, why are other senior party leaders still perceived as being passive?
Shouldn't DAP take a leaf out of UMNO’s playbook and aggressively protect its party principles and the interests of its own base?
Finally, in light of the disastrous Johor state election results, critics have upped the ante on DAP, hoping that it would finally jolt the party’s complacent top leaders into action. With GE16 looming, a growing number of DAP supporters are also believed to be of the view that the longer the party stays aligned with Anwar's Madani government, the more unbearable it will become for its own supporters. Will the party's top dogs then admit the painful reality and act now—or will they wait for another major debacle to unfold in the upcoming NS polls?
Main information source: The Edge Malaysia, Malay Mail, Malaysia Now and CNA.
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