LETTER | An Umno-Harapan breakthrough to benefit all Malaysians?

LETTER | The sudden toppling of Bersatu's Perak Mentri Besar Faizal Azumu has unexpectedly opened a vista for a major reshuffling of the Malaysian political mosaic.

This coup came about through an initiative by Perak Umno, collaborated by the state Pakatan Harapan, which comprises PKR, DAP and Amanah.

Umno’s partners in the Perikatan Nasional government, Bersatu and PAS, have reacted strongly against this coup and intend to boycott Umno’s attempt to form the next Perak government. Without their collaboration, Umno alone does not have the numbers to form a government

And so, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has since approached Harapan and met with their favourable response over the possible formation of an Umno-Harapan coalition.

Perak crisis may trigger national transformation

Such a political alliance may, of course, have ramifications beyond Perak to other states and even to the federal government.

Needless to say, the sudden emergence of a possible partnership between hitherto political arch-enemies could have sent shock waves to both political camps and their followers. Many are bewildered and are uncertain whether this is an acceptable development.

To help unravel this political conundrum, I offer my following analysis.

The current political furor is a game of power politics, as all political parties are seeking for more power.

However, there are only two big power centres in this country, and they are Harapan (PKR + DAP + Amanah) and Umno.

If these two parties combine their forces, there is no hurdle they cannot cross to gain dominant power; and with power, much can be achieved.

The big question is: can they reconcile their apparently irreconcilable political differences?

Harapan aims to build an all-inclusive multi-racial country with social justice and clean governance through institutional reforms, whereas Umno has been championing Malay racial supremacy while indulging in corruption.

I think down in the hearts of Umno leaders and among many urban Malays, Umno’s path to political power through holding on to its racist ideology and corrupt practices is morally wrong and will lose its lustre through time, destined to eventual eclipse in due course.

Umno should endeavour to transform

So, why not start to make a transition now by joining hands with Harapan to transform the country towards a racially harmonious and progressive country?

In the past, Umno has depended on such policy to cling on to power, but now it can also continue to enjoy ruling power without resorting to the same unpalatable policy – by working together and sharing power with Harapan this time.

Through such Umno-Harapan joint venture, with the right policies in place, Malays will surely make such progress in education and the economic fields (together with other races) as they have never seen before.

On the other hand, I don’t see any future in the current ad hoc partnership of the PN coalition.

Due to insoluble conflicting interests, there can be no real solution to the eternal power tussle between Bersatu and Umno, which is compounded by PAS playing its opportunistic game between the two protagonists. This is a marriage of convenience destined to failure. 

Apart from the economy plunging due to capital flight, the country will more likely be moving towards disintegration than integration.

An Umno-Harapan breakthrough on the cards?

Should Umno continue to muddle along in such an untenable political partnership or should it make a fresh start on a new venture with Harapan to build lasting success for the country?

An extraordinary time calls for an extraordinary solution. Sometimes, a rare confluence of factors crops up only once in a lifetime.

I hope stake holders Umno and Harapan will not let this golden opportunity to slip by without making their serious efforts to bring about a bold breakthrough that will benefit all Malaysians for generations to come.

KIM QUEK is the author of the banned book The March to Putrajaya and the bestseller Where to, Malaysia?

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.