THE political rumour mill has not stopped churning since February’s “Sheraton Move”, and was working overtime in the last couple of weeks.

Secret recordings, allegations of corruption-laced deals, accusations of betrayal and claims being shot down have Malaysians wondering who to believe anymore.

The increased politicking has even turned supporters who used to enthuse over the smallest developments into a disillusioned, lethargic lot unperturbed by anything less than a change of government.

One one side, we have conservative Malay-Muslim parties Umno and PAS sharing a stage with lightweight Barisan Nasional components and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), which is seen as taking a moderate stance.

If Umno and PAS came together under Muafakat Nasional with the shared aim of toppling Pakatan Harapan, they are finding it trickier to reconcile their positions as part of the ruling coalition today.

It is made worse when Perikatan Nasional has only a razor-thin majority, and needs the support of especially GPS.

Sensitive topics that were raised rather freely – sometimes for political mileage – previously, such as drink-driving, hudud and the death of a fireman in a temple riot, must now be managed carefully.

A recent example would be PAS’ response to the public outcry over deaths caused by drunk drivers. The Islamist party’s clerics, known for having demanded the shutdown of beer factories and entertainment spots in the past, adopted a decidedly less-than-fiery approach, requesting that local authorities stop issuing liquor licences until the drink-driving issue is “resolved”.

That was met with an angry response by GPS lawmakers, causing Sarawak PAS and a Dewan Muslimat leader to come out with reconciliatory statements – something unheard of just three months ago.

On the other end is PH, a far more stable coalition ideologically, but one that lacks Malay-Muslim support.

Not to forget the Dr Mahathir Mohamad-Anwar Ibrahim succession issue, which is said to have led to the series of events culminating in the Sheraton Move that resulted in the collapse of the country’s first non-BN government.

Then there’s Bersatu, a party so divided that its warring factions sat across the aisle in Parliament.

Fairly or unfairly, DAP has been accused of being the undercurrent causing the swell. Judging by how quickly the issues that were brought up to attack the party have died down when nothing much has changed in terms of policy, budget allocation and the mainstream discourse on race, it appears that a lot of them were either played up or engineered.

Although its ministers were generally seen to have performed well, DAP – and to a lesser degree, PKR – seems to have been made the whipping boy for the faults of a flawed coalition.

With urban voters and ethnic minorities in the peninsula known to back DAP and PKR, honest discussions on inter-communal and national matters cannot take place if these two parties are alienated and maligned. Upping the irony is when “national unity” is used as a reason to disparage them.

Regardless of whether it is true that the opposition has gotten 129 MPs to support a no-confidence motion against the prime minister, PN’s slim majority and lack of shared ideals among its components make it difficult to move beyond the current scenario. And this doesn’t even take into account the jostling for the same political space.

A strong government is needed to weather the stormy months ahead, and neither side can claim to be or have the ability to form one. Urgent and genuine dialogue is needed to stabilise things, and that means putting the people, not cronies, first, and personal and party agendas a distant second. – June 4, 2020.

* Emmanuel Joseph firmly believes that Klang is the best place on Earth, and that motivated people can do far more good than any leader with motive.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.