Commentary by Mustafa K. Anuar

A POLITICAL battle is set to take place on November 20 in Malacca, which has the elements of “friendly fire” and hung principles.

For one thing, the state polls will see political allies of Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN) at federal level fighting each other for state seats.

Both coalitions will be gunning for all the 28 seats in the assembly in the way any shrewd political foe would, especially in multi-cornered fights.

It is the kind of political liaison that exists in a dog-eat-dog world where no political romance is sacred.

Perhaps this explains why the PAS leadership, which is supposedly concerned about this internecine clash, warned that there are designs to wreck the unity of the ummah (pact unity).

PAS is unhappy that Umno, its purported ally in the debilitating Muafakat Nasional, is going solo in this state contest against Bersatu and PAS. This has left PAS having to rely only on Bersatu. So much for unity.

The Islamist party is indeed worried that the votes will be split at least in three ways, especially in the constituencies where it will have to fight tooth and nail against Umno as well as Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Bad blood might emerge between the two allies of the Malay-Muslim administration.

Pushed against this backdrop, leaders of the PN are nonetheless optimistic that their partnership in Putrajaya will still be hunky-dory.

To be sure, party-hoppers – namely Idris Haron and Nor Azman Hassan – are also contesting after they gained the warm embrace of the PH leadership, particularly PKR and Amanah.

Lest we forget our recent history, the PH government was brought to its knees by the defections within their ranks in a plot called the Sheraton Move.

This brought about severe condemnation, and rightly so, by PH leaders over what they considered as heinous betrayal.

That is why the admission of the two party-hoppers in Malacca, or better known as frogs, into the PH fold has confounded and appalled Muda leader Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who felt that PH did what it once vehemently criticised. Principles have been compromised.

In other words, a frog by any other name (even if labelled a “principled frog”) is still a frog to Syed Saddiq, as well as other concerned Malaysians who expect the PH to make a substantive difference to our political culture where governments fell because of betrayal.

It also gives hollowness to the PH’s supposed support for an anti-hopping law that aims to help deter party-hopping.

The acceptance of two of four assemblymen obviously made DAP upset, to the extent that it did not attend the recent event in which the names of PH candidates were announced by PKR’s Anwar Ibrahim and Amanah’s Mohamad Sabu.

In a historic Malacca, where legendary Hang Jebat was said to have rebelled against the palace over the supposed death of his close friend Hang Tuah by the Malacca sultan (but only to act like an anarchist eventually), it is hoped that the Malacca voters would “rebel” against bad politics for a good cause.

Malacca folk should make an informed choice at the ballot box to remind politicians that they place due importance on integrity, trust, justice, accountability and common decency in our political culture. – November 8, 2021.