By Niza Shimi
You’re not alone if you’re still confused about what is going on with Malaysian politics. If you voted for Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the 15th general elections (GE15) thinking to be rid of Barisan Nasional (BN), think again.
It so happens that a vote for PH in GE15 was actually a vote for BN and vice versa. That still hasn’t sunk in for many. What? Last time my enemy, now my friend? That’s incredible if it wasn’t, at times, just hilarious.
Just when you’d think that a Unity Government is to be tolerated because it made Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s long cherished dream of becoming PM come true, at least for the next five years, there’s a possibility this might be forever. What?
The Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was quoted by Utusan Malaysia to have said: “Insya-Allah kerjasama ini bukan lima tahun, bukan 10 tahun, bukan 15 tahun (tapi) atas keikhlasan kita akan bekerjasama dalam satu pasukan sebagai the grand coalition (gabungan besar) antara parti-parti yang bergabung untuk membentuk sebuah negara yang lebih gemilang.”
(God willing, this cooperation is not just for five years, not 10 years, not 15 years (but) due to our sincerity we can work together as a team in a grand coalition, between parties that have joined together for the sake of a more glorious nation)
Maybe he got carried away when speaking at the Ayuh Malaysia (Go Malaysia) mega rally in Padang Serai on Monday night. The previously PH-organised mega rally is now a joint PH and BN election rally, apparently.
As Zahid is the president of UMNO, is it safe to assume that he is speaking on behalf of the party and its coalition partners in BN, namely the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC)?
On a personal level, Zahid is a long-time friend and ally of Anwar that dates back to their time in the United Malaysia National Organisation (UMNO) in the Youth Wing. Both were UMNO youth chiefs, Anwar the elder and Zahid his protégé.
The online Britannica describes a grand coalition as consociationalism, a stable democratic system in deeply divided societies that is based on power-sharing between elites from different social groups.
Simply put, a grand coalition is a mixed bag of marbles. Does it mean the political parties have lost their marbles, though? A compromise of previous rivals with different agendas? Sounds too far-fetched.
Does it mean the Democratic Action Party (a coalition partner in PH) will now accept UMNO’s (a coalition partner of BN) Malay rights agenda? This remains to be seen.
Speculation is rife that Zahid and Anwar were in a conspiracy way back. But that is only speculation. What is true is that when Anwar was sacked in 1998, both he and Zahid were arrested under the then-brutal Internal Security Act.
However, Zahid chose to remain in UMNO while Anwar took a different path in his political journey, in Parti Keadilan Rakyat. Now both a reunited under the Unity Government with Anwar as PM and Zahid as DPM. Visions of Batman and his sidekick Robin come to mind.
Interestingly, there are factions within UMNO itself who prefer to be with the Perikatan Nasional (PN) while others, the Zahid faction, are agreeable to PH. But will Zahid himself survive the internal party polls due in six months?
Zahid’s show of allegiance to Anwar may have to stand the test of approval within his own party. Will UMNO survive its internal troubles? Could a grand coalition with PH signal the end of UMNO and BN as we know it?
Stay tuned.
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