Bad idea to give Umno politicos a Bersatu opening

The Malaysian Insight The Malaysian Insight Updated 7 years ago · Published on 13 Dec 2018 4:49PM · 6 Comments

Ex-Umno members are gaining admission into Pakatan Harapan via Bersatu, to the dismay of members of the coalition as well as voters. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, December 13, 2018.

LET’S cut through all the fluff, and look at the facts:
 
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is offering politicians from a political party he derided and ridiculed in the run-up to GE14 admission into Bersatu and a backdoor into the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.

By accepting these former Umno politicians – products of the same system that gave us Najib Razak and 1MDB – he is giving Bersatu a more respectable number in parliament and perhaps a stronger footing in the PH coalition. 

He may even be speeding up the demise of Umno by encouraging the hollowing out of its ranks.

At what cost, though?

Is it acceptable to welcome politicians from a culture that accepted and promoted corruption, abuse of power and patronage? 

Is it acceptable to offer a soft-landing to politicians who were rejected by the same voters who gave their all to Dr Mahathir and PH, and made the improbable happen on May 9?

Should the preoccupation with adding flesh to the spine of Bersatu take precedence over concerns that the Umno virus will  contaminate PH?

These questions are being raised in PH circles following news that former Puteri Umno chief Mas Ermieyati has joined Bersatu and that a swathe of Sabah Umno elected representatives have left the party. 

DAP’s Ramkarpal Singh said PH’s admittance of elected representatives from Umno goes against the government’s commitment to reform. 

“The more PH entertains these crossovers, the more disillusioned the rakyat will become with PH. It is a dangerous development and completely against the will of the people who voted out BN in GE14,” he said. 

He is right.

The Malaysians who voted PH into power did not do so on a whim. They thought long and hard about the choice before them. 

They decided to reject the familiar and went with a motley crew of novices led by Dr Mahathir. They believed that Dr Mahathir was sincere about wanting to atone for his past mistakes and making a  clean break from the past.

Surely bringing back the old from a discredited political culture does not represent a clean break from the past. ‎It can’t. 

Also troubling is the speed at which some of these Umno types have been willing to jump ship. Many of them have been drinking from the Umno trough for decades but found it so easy to abandon their struggle.

So just what type of individuals is Bersatu admitting into its fold?

Political opportunists and men and women of straw? 

Dr Mahathir and his supporters may argue that those admitted into Bersatu have passed a background check and are relatively unstained by the muck of the Najib years.

Perhaps so, but they fail the ultimate test: they are not supported by the people who put Dr Mahathir and PH in power. – December 13, 2018.
 

Sign up or sign in here to comment.

Comments

  • I am a PH voter for the last few elections and I am disillusioned. I did not vote PH so that I can be served with this sham. As long as theyre UMNO/BN on election day, theyre inadmissible regardless whether theyre perceived to be a good person or not. No amount of background check can make them admissible. Shape up Bersatu or ship out. And the same goes to the rest of PH parties

    Posted 7 years ago by NA Bayezid · Reply

  • In 1980s while studying for my London U (external) degree political Geography examination, I came across two true to life cartoons in a political magazine. That political cartoon showing in part 1 picture, a military dictator in full military uniform telling a crowd, "I promise you civilian rule soon." In picture 2, he is wearing coat and suit and telling the same crowd, "see I have kept my promise." In today's second picture of the cartoon that same UMNO crowd which was kicked out for all the corruption and misrule has become the new Bersatu crowd. Get ready to welcome a third Malaysian car soon. Wait till GE 15 to hear all the horror stories of of all the corruption and misrules since GE14. We Malaysians are really born suckers. When is Hadi of PAS allowed to join PKR? We are starting to miss him

    Posted 7 years ago by Citizen Pencen · Reply

  • Do a thorough screening. Accept only the genuine party members - MPs, etc.. dont and never accept RUBBISH!!

    Posted 7 years ago by TTs Take · Reply

  • your guess is as good as mine, que sera sera whatever will be, will be, the future is for us to see

    Posted 7 years ago by Teruna Kelana · Reply

  • I am disgusted with this scenario.

    Posted 7 years ago by Rance ramasamy · Reply

  • Tell that to the Godfather.
    You know when he has made up his mind, nothing gets in the way.
    Except maybe when PAS/UMNO protest on ICERD.

    Posted 7 years ago by Rock Hensem · Reply