THE power vacuum following the ouster of Ahmad Faizal Azumu as Perak Menteri Besar last week has once again exposed the true colours of our politicians, especially those from the DAP.

With the mad scramble going on to fill the prized chief executive post of the Silver State, some politicians are willing to sacrifice their principles they had stood by for decades. Citing “public interest”, which in hindsight, was never their concern in the first place, they chose to prostitute integrity for lust for power and positions. Even among thieves, there’s honour!

Perak DAP chairman Nga Kor Ming has openly welcomed the prospect of working with Umno to form a government. Wasn’t Umno the DAP’s Enemy No. 1 for decades?

Didn’t the DAP bash Umno endlessly for corruption, cronyism and nepotism? What was asking the public to take to the streets over the years for, if not to protect and defend the Federal Constitution and pluralism which Umno had forsaken due to expediency?

Why was the 1MDB-tainted Najib Razak the most vilified man by the DAP during the last general election, if not ever?

So, now the DAP can turn a blind eye to Umno’s excesses? If Umno has turned over a new leaf, why is the DAP still attacking Umno, whether for racism or corruption? Isn’t DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang still sending out reams of media statements each week attacking Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and party adviser Najib?

Or is it because Nga is still so drunk on power that he tasted for about 20 months as the Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat? Were all the perks and privileges that came with power so intoxicating for Nga that he could sacrifice his and the party’s ideals to get back into power?

The thing is, Nga is not alone in the DAP who harbours dreams of going back to the hallowed halls of power. Going by news reports, there are quarters in the DAP whose lust overpowers their principles.

Using Perak, they are hoping to create a domino effect that culminates in a tectonic shift in power in Putrajaya. With 42 MPs, including some facing criminal charges, they want to topple the Muhyiddin Yassin administration, even if this means working with Umno, or God forbid, PAS.

When Anwar Ibrahim announced in September that he had secured enough MPs to form the next government, the DAP knew the bloc included Umno lawmakers, including disgraced ones dubbed kluster mahkamah (court cluster, or those facing criminal charges).

The DAP did not distance itself from such insinuations. Its deafening silence then spoke volumes about where the party stood.

When it came to Perak, at least, the DAP was more forthright in embracing Umno, even if that meant making the duo strange bedfellows, unlike DAP’s “fling” with PAS during the Barisan Alternatif and Pakatan Rakyat days.

Even if DAP’s plans to join forces with Umno in Perak falls through, the dent to its public image is bad enough. But if they do work together in the state to form the new Perak government, or even one in Putrajaya, rest assured we the voters can’t wait till the next general election to teach this party a lesson it will never forget! – December 6, 2020.

*Loh Wee Thim reads The Malaysian Insight.

* 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.