FROM the time it was announced that parliament was hung following the general election till now, I have been expecting Pakatan Harapan voters to experience buyer’s remorse.

I am amazed to see that it has not happened.

I was shocked at how quickly the supporters changed their tune to begin advocating for PH to enter into coalition with Umno led by Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Zahid, until then the bête noire of PH, was touted as the key person to help the coalition secure power.

PH voters believed it was better to have Zahid on their side than to have him working with Perikatan Nasional (PN) to form the government.

Suddenly, Malaysians were forced to accept the idea of Umno sharing power with DAP after decades of mud-slinging between the two parties.

I thought a political realignment of such magnitude would not sit well with PH supporters, who had staunchly rejected kleptocracy of the kind epitomised by Zahid. How wrong was I!

Even before the cooperation was formalised, the PH rank and file were already setting the argument that cooperation was necessary. Worse still there was even an attempt to protect the reputation of Zahid.

One particular incident that stands out in my mind was a social media post by PH supporters showing Zahid speaking rudimentary Mandarin. The message it intended to convey was that Zahid did care for the Chinese community. 

I would be the last person to argue against a coalition government, which I strongly believe is what Malaysia needs right now to bring down the political temperature and encourage sensible governance.

However, this brand of politics is predicated on compromise.

It is unlikely that a coalition government would be as stable as a single-party government yet there there is very little fissure and noise from this coalition government.

Although this government has noy seen its dirty laundry aired in public or the open rebellions that were the Achilles heels of the three former governments, this stability also invites the question of acquiescence.

Has PH bowed down too much to Umno?

To dodge this question, DAP leader Anthony Loke has always fallen back on the “big picture” trope – stressing that all parties should move on from the past in the interest of unity.

However, there is also the little matter of PH voters’ aspirations for a government which does things differently from Barisan Nasional.

This should remain fundamental differences between the PH coalition partners that should not be breached. 

The government so far does not strike me as a transformative government. Instead the way it operates and governs is more similar to the BN government that we are accustomed to.

As things stand, there is a lack of meaningful legislation or policies that would make the Madani government stand out, yet the political appointments that PH used to disparage are now accepted and implemented to the fullest degree.

Some have even alleged that the government has been silent over the littoral combat ships scandal to shield deputy prime minister Zahid.

Again, this is a betrayal of the voters who were swayed by the LCS affair which PH incessantly brought up when it was the opposition.

All this while, PH supporters have tolerated this government and its dubious partners because of the threat of Perikatan Nasional.

However, their continued support for Umno and Zahid by default will only damage PH in the long term.

This could have severe implications for PH in the coming state elections PH continues to acquiese to Umno.

For PH to exert authority in the coalition government, the pressure needs to come from the bottom.

And this must begin with the PH supporters being honest with themselves: that this is not the government they voted for. – June 18, 2023.

* Kenneth Cheng has always been interested in the interplay between human rights and government but more importantly he is a father of two cats, Tangyuan and Toufu. When he is not attending to his feline matters, he is most likely reading books about politics and human rights or playing video games. He is a firm believer in the dictum “power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will”.

* 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.