.jpg)
By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright June 2023
Tony Pua's remarks about a corrupt alliance have stirred up discontent among the major coalition partners, causing upset for PH and providing an opportunity for Bersatu to criticize him for treating Umno like a doormat.
Pua's statement at a recent DAP fundraising dinner sparked controversy, with MCA president Wee Ka Siong questioning why DAP supported the current government if Pua had reservations about alleged corruption within BN.
Wee also raised concerns about Pua's implication that PH should govern independently if they won the next general election, wondering if it meant DAP planned to betray BN.
Umno Youth Chief Dr Akmal Saleh expressed dissatisfaction among Umno's grassroots, stating that Pua's actions were undermining the harmony and understanding within the government.
UMNO officially protested to the DAP leadership over Pua's characterization of BN as a corrupt coalition, and its secretary-general, Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, urged DAP not to nominate Pua as a candidate in the upcoming Selangor elections. https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/449253
The latest reports indicate that Tony is already dropped from the list of candidates for state elections. https://focusmalaysia.my/tony-pua-dropped-from-daps-list-of-candidates-for-the-state-elections/
Meanwhile, Perikatan Nasional (PN) youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari accused DAP of treating Umno and BN like a "dirty doormat" within the unity government, referring to Pua's statement about BN being a corrupt alliance.
Fadhli questioned whether Umno and BN members would continue to support DAP in Selangor. His comments might be fishing for votes of supporters from the two parties to switch to his own party in August.
These comments raise concerns about potential cracks in the fragile coalition led by a prime minister who faces the challenging task of balancing between political parties that have been at odds with each other for years.
There have been cracks previously. Fortunately. these have been contained, but this recent outburst by Tony Pua is extraordinary since he is an advisor to Anthony Loke, the secretary-general of DAP.
Although Anthony Loke has come forward to explain that a statement made by Pua is his own personal viewpoint but it does worry the coalition partners who fear that such remarks may actually reflect the real suppressed feelings of DAP members at large.
In sum, Tony's statement meant to state an observation that is on the minds of many has created a controversy that might not easily go away quickly enough in preparation for the coming state elections.
Anyway, whatever assurance received by wounded parties may still be felt in the next state elections with consequences that could benefit the opposition.
Mihar Dias 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!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.
