LETTER | Tired and distracted, let's now start on a clean slate

LETTER | I want to be honest: I am no fan of Perikatan Nasional, much less Umno. But I am also a realist. The fact of the matter is that Umno has now reclaimed the prime ministership after over three years since it got booted out of Putrajaya during the 2018 general election.

Its vice-president and now country's ninth prime minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, is holding on to power with a slim four-seat majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

Given how tenuous his hold on power is, do we want another round of politicking like the ones we just saw that culminated in the ouster of his predecessor, Muhyiddin Yassin?

We are now facing an unprecedented crisis. On top of a worsening Covid-19 pandemic which saw over 1.5 million infections and over 14,000 deaths, we have to contend with an economy on a downward spiral.

Can we afford more political instability that will distract us from tackling this double whammy?

The answer is, we cannot! There are literally lives at stake as Covid-19 variants like Delta wreak havoc on our healthcare. Tens of thousands, if not more, are finding it a problem to put food on the table daily, due to the restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The last thing we need is another round of political horse-trading that, at best, will distract the government from managing the crises, and at worst, cause yet another downfall of the prime minister, who has yet to warm his seat.

We have wasted enough time with the endless and senseless politicking already.

All I am trying to say is this: For now, let's set aside our political differences and throw our support behind the government.

If the government has done wrong, let's offer our constructive criticisms, and let's give credit where it is due.

There is no need to get overly worked up, because if we do so, it'd only incentivise political opportunists to push for their personal agendas, including a change in government.

I also hope that the opposition will also reciprocate the offer made by Ismail Sabri to take a more active role in governance, including to be part of the National Recovery Council and the special committee on Covid-19.

There is a time for politicking, and that time has passed.

As a voter, I am already tired of the unending politicking that has engulfed this country since the "Sheraton Move", and gathered momentum again about two months ago.

Let's give this prime minister a chance for now. He has been striking all the right notes like calling us his "Malaysian Family", offering an olive branch to the opposition, and hitting the ground running by visiting the flood victims in Yan, Kedah.

Of course, it is too soon to assess his administration. But it is not too late to stop the pointless politicking that has sapped up our energy and resources. Let's keep that for the next general election.

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