IT has been more than three years since the infamous Sheraton Move that brought the Pakatan Harapan (PH) 1.0 government down, and even though the key movers have all been relegated to the opposition, there remains an existential fear haunting the current PH government.

This may yet explain why the present administration has been overly cautious in handling sensitive issues, to the point that they have been accused of pandering to the conservative folds.

This cabinet is also much more united compared to its predecessor, despite the inclusion of Barisan Nasional (BN).

For better or worse, these are the hard lessons that PH has learnt and no principles are as important as avoiding the risk of another Sheraton Move. 

PH is by no means the solitary victim of the Sheraton Move effect.

The two biggest architects of the Sheraton Move – Muhyiddin Yassin and Azmin Ali – have also paid a political price for executing such a controversial move.

Muhyiddin would not have become prime minister if there was no Sheraton Move, but the event has also exerted a toll on him where he has to always publicly explain why he was not a traitor but merely a reluctant prime minister.

Moreover, the disputed suspension of parliament and controversial extension of emergency, which significantly damaged Muhyiddin’s premiership, were all haphazardly executed to protect a wafer-thin majority that harks back to how he gained power through the February 2020 manoeuvre.

Similarly, Azmin may yet to make a political comeback by winning the Hulu Kelang state seat recently, but the fact there is a comeback suggests how much the former senior minister has fallen since his defeat in Gombak, which was dubbed the “battle against the traitor”.

While the both of them benefitted the most from the coup, the traitor labels they inherited have also dogged them, which they have had trouble shedding. 

However, the same could not be said of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who also benefited from the Sheraton Move.

As opposed to Muhyiddin or Azmin, who at times underplayed their role in the Sheraton Move to avoid unnecessary rebuke, Hadi’s persistent call to repeat the Sheraton trick did not harm his reputation. It, in fact, endeared him to a certain populace.

When given a chance to comment about the ruling government, Hadi will always take pride in his not just participating but leading the Sheraton Move. In some countries, the action would be deemed an undemocratic seize of power.

To many, the coup represents a weakening of democracy, where the political elites decide who becomes the next government instead of election results.

Things could not be so different for Hadi because to him, the day of the coup is worthy of celebration.

He has successfully united all the Malay political parties and seized power from his bete noire, DAP.

PH supporters were aghast when he spoke of his role in orchestrating the Sheraton Move, but for Hadi it is a badge of honour that he wears with pride. He has since spared no details in telling the public how the Icerd protest and formation of the Muafakat Nasional pact were all carefully engineered to destabilise PH to cut its reign short. 

If there were any politician enthused by the prospect of another Sheraton Move it would undoubtedly be Hadi.

Even the likes of Muhyiddin dared not publicly call for another Sheraton Move but there is no stopping Hadi from attempting another “tebuk atap” (making holes in the roof), and again.

He has made it known publicly that he is actively plotting another one.

If the lessons PH learnt from Sheraton Move is to not spook the right, then the effect coup had on Hadi is that it could be repeated because the first attempt was so “clean” and successful.

Recently, while admitting there is an effort to oust the present administration, he believes that a change of power could occur not just during elections but also in parliament.

This is a controversial statement that not even Hadi could dream of saying it if it was not for the profound effect the Sheraton Move had on Malaysian politics. 

Strangely, Hadi was never politically punished, unlike Muhyiddin and Azmin, and this is all the more bizarre when the popular opinion is that the Sheraton Move should not be repeated.

Given that both sides have suffered under this seismic event, Hadi may be the only politician who has successfully weathered the consequential effects of the Sheraton Move and emerged unscathed.

All this also suggests we may have been trapped in our social bubble and viewing the Sheraton Move through an entirely wrong lens.

Maybe the PH1.0 government is really that unpopular amongst the Malays which justifies a change of government or majority of Malays just would not countenance any government which DAP has a role in.

Whatever it is, there is no denying that Hadi Awang and PAS are the greatest beneficiaries from the Sheraton Move and the lesson he took from it is profoundly radical and transformative. – September 3, 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.