COMMENT | Rafizi is wrong on these two counts

COMMENT | Following PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli’s announcement of his return to active politics, he criticised PKR and Pakatan Harapan for being overzealous in efforts to regain power. He also claimed that it is not that important who the top leader (the prime minister) is, as the issues of who and what party leads the country is of little interest to the public.

Rafizi is wrong in both these assertions.

Having the power to rule is the prerequisite to bringing reforms to a country like Malaysia, which has been devastated by decades of rampant corruption and pervasive racism.

If Harapan is not in the seat of power, how could it carry out sweeping reforms to our institutions (judiciary, Attorney-General’s Chambers, police, MACC and other government bodies) to restore the rule of law and stamp out corruption while carrying out mass education to undo the deeply ingrained racist mindset of the masses?

And without these fundamental reforms, how could Malaysia rise from its current political quagmire to move onto the path of genuine nation-building towards a successful democratic state where the people enjoy a good quality of life in an ambience of harmony and unity?

Hence, lesson No 1 in Malaysian politics: Take power.

As for the issue of who the top leader is, it is in fact one of utmost...