"Right after the change of government that will happen, God willing, we will take everything that is good, and we will destroy everything!"
Prominent opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin has shocked many with his explosive speech in Parliament recently.
The outspoken Larut MP, who has been tipped as a potential Prime Minister candidate, made the controversial statement during the debate on Budget 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat.
But what exactly did he mean by that?
In fact, some may be wondering if the seasoned politician was debating the nation's budget or giving a fiery political ceramah in a remote village.
"Will take the good—and destroy everything!"
For sure, such a dangerous, sweeping statement would have raised two obvious questions:
Firstly, to give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe it was a slip of the tongue that made it appear as if he was contradicting himself with that “intimidating” statement?
Secondly, didn't the opposition leader's body language and his bold statement appear to suggest that he was certain a change of government is imminent?
But didn't that smack of overconfidence?
Moreover, in line with parliamentary decorum, wasn't he supposed to debate the nation's 2027 budget—instead of diverting and engaging in “politicking” inside the august House?
In truth, given the occasion, surely the public had the right to expect some constructive criticism from a future PM candidate instead of something that may be perceived as downright destructive.
So, why then did the polished and well-educated opposition leader resort to such an aggressive, confrontational approach?
Here's a bit of background…
Undoubtedly, Hamzah's critics will allege that he remains a shrewd strategist, often dubbed the ultimate "political operator", who works from behind the scenes.
According to reports, the Parti Wawasan Negara chief was allegedly one of the key architects behind the infamous 2020 Sheraton Move that toppled the then Dr Mahathir-led Pakatan Harapan government.
Hamzah had also once reportedly declared at a Bersatu AGM, pledging total, unwavering loyalty to party boss Muhyiddin Yassin, declaring himself as the latter's number one supporter!
(Screenshot of headline and image from The Star)
But what happened almost right after that?
Interestingly, there were also reports of past leaked audio clips alleging “political interference” in top police transfers when he was the Home Minister during the tumultuous BN-PN rule.
In fact, back in 2023, Hamzah had even allegedly warned Anwar's government not to pick on the opposition too often. He added that as a former Home Minister, he could use several files he had on some current government leaders to find fault with them!
Now, wouldn't critics call that a veiled political threat?
Coming back to the budget debate, he did pontificate about growing the nation's economy so that all debts could be paid off. To some, that may have sounded as though his coalition already had a “magic formula” to solve the national debt.
But isn't the proof of the pudding in the eating?
In that regard, won't cynics be quick to point out: if the economies of the four states under opposition control are already deemed less than impressive, how can they then promise strong economic growth for the entire country?
The thing is, if Hamzah and his coalition are so confident they can solve the country's debt problem, they should have presented their “alternative budget,” complete with all supporting data.
Instead, why digress by issuing a cryptic doomsday-like message to Anwar, PH supporters—and the nation as a whole?
And why do it in Parliament of all places—amid an important budget debate, at that?
Some may ask: if that isn't blatant politicking, then what is?
Meanwhile, there may also be others who would be wondering if perhaps there was a need to impress the big bosses in PAS and its legion of supporters?
After all, the Islamist party which leads the opposition Perikatan Nasional coalition has yet to officially name its poster boy for the PM post!
Like it or not, Hamzah's ominous-sounding statement could be interpreted as a forewarning that ground preparations are all set for a PAS-led opposition—whether alone or with BN—to form the next federal government.
Still, what cannot be ignored is this: when a prominent opposition leader openly vows that his party will adopt the good and then proceed to "destroy everything," one can’t help but ponder—what exactly is the underlying message?
Main information source: MalaysiakiniFB, The Edge Malaysia, FMT and Focus Malaysia.
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