SHE has been demonised, threatened with physical harm and called all sorts of names‎ since she emerged as the champion of free and fair elections, an independent judiciary and the rule of law in Malaysia 10 years ago, but Ambiga Sreenevasan has remained optimistic through it all.

Until now‎. 

These days, despair has crept in. And the frustration is palpable ‎as she talks about the opposition parties squabbling among themselves and unable to look beyond their narrow personal and party interests. 

Her words sting but DAP, PAS, PKR, Amanah, Parti Pribumi Malaysia Bersatu should pay heed because these are not the biting comments of a disgruntled party veteran or political opponent.

Ambiga has been a friend to opposition politicians ‎before they tasted success at the ballot box. She has defended them in court and even persuaded non-Muslims to give PAS candidates the benefit of the doubt in the 13^th general election.

The former president of the Bar Council and chair of Bersih sat down recently with The Malaysian Insight to give her views on the opposition and what they needed to do to win the confidence of the electorate.

Here, she offers a few questions for the opposition to chew on.

‎ Q. Are opposition politicians prepared to put the country first‎, above party and personal interests? 

“If you say that the ultimate goal is to save the nation, then personal and party interests have to give way to what is best for the country. At the moment, it appears that the focus is on personal and party interest,” she said, referring to the internal squabbling and inability to reach consensus on leadership and policy matters.

It is an open secret that Pakatan Harapan is divided on who would be the prime minister should it win the next general election. Anwar Ibrahim, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Muhyiddin Yasin’s names are floated as potential PM candidates.

Not a day passes without some barbs being exchanged between PAS and DAP or PAS and Pribumi, the party headed by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. 

Ambiga suggests that this squabbling is forcing some Malaysians to ask some tough questions about the men and women seeking to replace Barisan Nasional in Putrajaya.

Q. Why do you deserve to be the next government of Malaysia?

Yes, the opposition had a breakthrough in 2008, when it captured Penang, Selangor and Kedah and denied BN its two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Yes, the opposition coalition made further inroads in 2013.

But Ambiga believes that complacency has set in and the opposition is taking Malaysians for granted, believing that it can coast to power, based on what it said or did in the past.

“The opposition have good people. They have many intelligent people. So why is it so difficult to tell Malaysians what your policies are going to be on education, taxation and other issues? 

“They need to show that they can be a government for all. And the only way people can assess whether the opposition can be a government for all is by assessing their policies and plans,” said Ambiga.

Q. Who are your key leaders?

‎Supporters of the opposition and civil society have been pushing PKR, DAP, Amanah and Pribumi to name their PM candidate and shadow cabinet. 

These calls have been resisted by opposition politicians, who say the leaders will be revealed after GE14. They are worried that the naming of a shadow cabinet will provide ammunition for a BN attack as well as an impetus for revolt among coalition partners with fewer seats at the table.

On the flip side, critics charge that the failure to name a shadow cabinet is sign of a coalition unable to agree on ‎key matters. 

Ambiga said: “Okay, don’t call it a shadow cabinet if you don’t want to. But at least name individuals to five key positions or have an election. We need to see faces.”

Q. What happened to the humility?

Ambiga wants the opposition to remember who they were in 2008 and return to those days. 

Then, they were hungry for support and humility was their calling card. They were willing to listen and accept criticism for what it was: well-meaning comments and points.

“With humility comes the ability to listen to criticism,” she said, adding that a growing complaint is that success has made some opposition politicians arrogant. 

They don’t take kindly to having their views challenged and view ideas and suggestions offered with disdain. 

By taking this approach, they were alienating civil society.

“We want the opposition of old back,” she added. 

Ambiga understands that her candour will not be appreciated by opposition politicians and their supporters. 

“They will be very angry with what I have said but my priority is to ensure that the country is safe,” she said, adding that despair about the squabbling and internal problems in the opposition could discourage Malaysians from turning out in numbers to vote in GE14.

Her parting shot to the opposition: this is your election to lose and you can’t blame anyone but yourself if you don’t do well.

With Prime Minister Najib Razak’s approval rating hovering around the 20-something mark and the rising cost of living hitting more households, she is not wrong.

The conditions on the ground are ripe but… – March 31, 2017.