It is increasingly evident that Barisan Nasional (BN) will maintain its political alignment with Perikatan Nasional (PN) for the upcoming 16th General Election (GE-16).
Leaders from both coalitions signaled this intention last Saturday during media interviews following the Bukit Katil (N.17) nominations for the 16th Melaka General Election.
Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan was the first to announce the collaboration, introducing the new tagline, MM: "Muafakat Melaka" (Melaka Accord).
The PN Secretary-General further noted that the alliance plans to unveil another MM: "Muafakat Malaysia" (Malaysia Accord) tagline as they prepare for GE-16.
UMNO Secretary-General Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the BN-PN collaboration in Melaka has become more organized after the early success in Johor and Negeri Sembilan.
PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang admitted that the collaboration has become more intimate and that cooperation in Kelantan and Terengganu is likely to happen.
Given this solidified alliance, it is pointless to question UMNO's loyalty, as the party has pledged its support until the conclusion of the 15th Dewan Rakyat term.
Furthermore, past political dynamics suggest that a marriage between UMNO and DAP remains unlikely, a sentiment previously echoed by PAS.
This is a primary reason I remain skeptical when ‘Abang Mat’ suggests that the identity politics is temporary. The fact is, the identity politics is the nation's political identity.
One might assume that this Malay-unity agenda is merely a facade designed to protect elite kleptocrats. This sentiment emerged after PAS openly expressed its support for Najib's house arrest.
Arguably, these critics primarily consist of PH supporters—the same coalition that extended Azam Baki's term in office twice. Furthermore, Anwar himself is currently contending with the Corporate Mafia scandal.
Anwar is increasingly likely to invite Bersatu into the fold for the upcoming election, given his significant need for Malay support.
Meanwhile, Muhyiddin Yassin faces three additional charges related to the Jana Wibawa program, while Lim Guan Eng faces ongoing corruption and money laundering charges.
Consequently, all parties and their coalitions find themselves back at square one. No leader can credibly discuss corruption. No one is as good (bagus) at making bogus promises to combat “sakau”.
This is particularly true for Anwar, who is facing a RM150 million defamation lawsuit filed by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He has yet to substantiate the claim that "Dr Mahathir sakau wang rakyat."
I strongly believe that Muafakat Malaysia emerged out of a fundamental rejection of the incumbent government.
It was born not out of a tolerance for corruption, but rather out of a profound frustration with hypocrisy and chauvinism.
Amir Al Fateh (malaydigest@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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