Commentary by Mustafa K Anuar

THERE are times when certain politicians could do with checking whether they live in glass houses before they attempt to throw stones at others.

That is what it looks like when Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar recently warned political parties, presumably the opposition, against what he considered as an attempt to topple the present government before a vote of confidence for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is tabled in Parliament next month.

The Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) supreme council member insisted that the rakyat would not condone such an act.

Lest we forget, his and other political parties, which were cobbled together to form a pact called Perikatan Nasional (PN), staged a bloodless coup late in February last year that led to the Pakatan Harapan (PH) pact being ousted from Putrajaya.

Therefore, the criticism of toppling the government strikes as rich, coming from someone associated with the motley group that committed the very act the entrepreneur development and co-operatives minister purportedly frowned upon.

To be sure, PBB is a component party of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition, which also includes Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), which has reiterated its support for the PN government.

The so-called Sheraton Move brought about the end of the PH rule in the middle of its term, much to the chagrin of the electorate, who were generally anticipating uninterrupted governance and the fulfilling of many of its electoral promises that were regarded as reformist in nature.

In other words, ordinary Malaysians generally do not like their democratically elected government being toppled, especially after they had made known their political preferences at the ballot box in 2018.

The rakyat was also upset that the power grab occurred when the Covid-19 virus just hit our shores. Such a political intervention had taken away our collective attention from wholly addressing the pressing issue of the raging menace.

Lest we forget, the toppling of the PH administration at federal level also triggered a collapse of several state governments in the federation as a result of political re-alignments among lawmakers. This was, and remains, unsettling.

In the case of Sabah, the state government fell because of party defections and subsequently led to an election at a time when the Covid-19 virus flaunted itself.

The triumph of the PN pact at the polling stations was matched by a spike in infections in the state as a result of the electioneering.

If there is an attempt to oust the current PN government now, it is because the popularity of the embattled government has not been officially tested on the floor of the Dewan Rakyat ever since the power grab took place last year.

That’s why there has been a loud demand from lawmakers and concerned Malaysians for a parliamentary session to be convened as soon as possible, so that a vote of confidence can be initiated to ascertain the legitimacy of the Muhyiddin government.

The rakyat has had enough of the excessive politicking and political uncertainty that involved both sides of the divide.

The hunger strike staged by activist Nathaniel Tan represents the extreme frustration of many people regarding the current state of the nation.

As it is, the people are grappling with issues of a rising rate of deaths, infections, suicides and domestic violence, along with loss of jobs, incomes and businesses, which require urgent attention and action of the lawmakers, particularly the ruling politicians.

It is crucial that the government is seen to be attentive to the pressing needs of the struggling people by crafting comprehensive and well-thought-out policies that would minimise, if not discard, flip-flops and inconsistencies in policies and policy implementation.

Needless to say, such a heavy task must be borne by competent, resourceful and committed bunch of ministers.

This doesn’t necessarily require a bloated cabinet, especially if there are other lawmakers who are willing to lend a helping hand.

Sometimes it is best for certain politicians to keep mum so that ordinary people would not be led to believe that the former are going off their rocker. – August 10, 2021.

* 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.