IT’s probably not the first time that headline has been used to describe Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s premiership, but this time, it might finally be apt.

By the looks of some reports from the Putrajaya rumour mill, it won’t even come as a surprise if the Prime Minister’s Office is made vacant before this article gets published.

After Muhyiddin’s Friday evening televised address, it’s evident that the ruling coalition no longer has the majority, and, by outlining a seven-point peace offering, he is clearly making a last-ditch attempt to ask for bi-partisan support to remain in power.

Many have turned to debate whether we should accept the prime minister’s offer, seeing it as a golden opportunity to finally get two-thirds’ support for some important institutional reforms.

However, one thing that we should learn from history is that, at the end of the day, much more stays the same than changes. Politicians make promises all the time to garner support; that’s just how they operate. To see them through, however, is a separate matter.

Should we exploit Muhyiddin’s weak state to finally get the reforms we long wanted? My answer is a simple ‘no’. This is just not the time to be tactical, and it’s also not something that will take effect overnight; we still have time for that debate in the future.

Whoever brokered the deal that gave Muhyiddin the impression and confidence that this might be a win-win situation ought to be ashamed of themselves. We have a pandemic in our midst, and, of all things concerned, these should be at the bottom of the list.

Besides failing to manage this crisis, let us not forget it was this government that misused its power to crackdown on activists and people exercising free speech. Have we already forgotten the multiple probes and intimidation of the #Lawan organisers and protesters?

Why are we still enabling Muhyiddin’s government to stay in power?

Luckily, that ship has sailed. No one would risk their political career to cross over to join hands with a sinking ship. But I do hope that the reform agenda will be tabled by the ruling coalition in the future, whoever they may be.

By then, we can see who is really in favour of reforms. It would especially be a test for those who stood behind Muhyiddin during the televised address last Friday, assuming they still have their seats.

But what’s next after the prime minister’s resignation? It’s uncharted territory moving forward, all options are now made possible since there’s no clear successor.

Changing captains while we’re surviving through a storm almost always leads to uncertainty, especially when not knowing who the captain-in-waiting is.

Names have popped up in the news but no one has a clear majority advantage, and not one of the given names has offered a comprehensive framework to bring us out of this pandemic storm.

Will our country take another turn to lockdown measures, or are we full steam ahead on relaxation policies and rejuvenating the economy? They better figure it out. Cheap talk like ‘we can do better’ don’t cut it anymore.

On one hand, we are losing lives to Covid-19, and on the other people are suffering, businesses are winding up, and the people’s mental state is getting poorer by the day.

Those who intend to pick up the mantle must offer solutions to these impending threats to the country. Let us be clear that the political turmoil is just a distraction from the real enemy – the pandemic.

It’s fair to say that all this political squabbling has caused the government to not function at its intended capacity. Should all of the government work together in the first place, we would almost certainly be in a better position than we are now.

At the end of the day, what’s important right now is figuring out a way to put more and more people back to their normal lives.

Will a change in government improve the situation? Probably not, because again, much more stays the same than changes.

Changes take time, and I’m all for them, but one thing’s for sure, the power grabbing race-to-Putrajaya nonsense in the middle of the pandemic must stop.

Meanwhile, if Muhyiddin were to resign, there would be a power vacuum given the circumstances of unclear succession; it’ll be a free-for-all frenzy for a couple of days to come.

Let’s hope that, in the meantime, the efforts placed on the national vaccination programme are not to be distracted from, the framework to economic recovery that has already been set in motion must too not be derailed. At the very least, maintaining the status quo triumphs over uncertainty.

There are those who say that we might be better off with the devil we know versus the devil you don’t, or for those that challenge those who oppose to produce a better alternative to replacing Muhyiddin after he’s been ousted, this is my reply:

As a concerned citizen, we have the right to voice our objection or dissatisfaction towards the people in power, and we do not have to offer an alternative candidate to do so.

It isn’t civil society’s role to over-analyse the situation. Rather, it’s for politicians in power to sort it out; we just need to tell them that things require changing.

We have our right to vote, we have our freedom of expression, freedom of speech. Let us exercise them to remind those who are in power of their duties.

In the next general election, probably a year from now when the pandemic subsides, let us really put the candidates to test, ask them to make a stand on the reform agenda, judge each candidate by the positions they take on issues that concerns us, evaluate them by their qualities and integrity, and not just vote according to political party preferences. – August 16, 2021.

* Kelvin Lee is a member of Agora Society. Both a dreamer and realist, he is constantly figuring out ways to balance the two. He believes that by defying the norm, one can pave the way for a better future.

* 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.