LETTER | Time to look for a better alternative?

LETTER | It has been eight months since the coalition government came into power following the last general election.

Recently, I asked my brother-in-law, “So, what do you think about the new government?”

He is a businessperson running a small SME in Malacca and his answer was simple, “Anwar jadi PM pun sama sahaja. Takde apa-apa pun.”

Honestly, I could not agree with him more. Prior to GE15, there was a wind of excitement that culminated in the formation of the new government.

Many were happy to see Anwar Ibrahim finally realising his dream of becoming the prime minister.

But sadly, that is where it ends. It was and is his dream, because, to date, the rakyat have seen no positive changes.

Many of us are still struggling with the poor economy, while a large number are still jobless and living in poverty.

We were looking forward to much better things under this government - something different from what we had under the past administrations.

For many, I guess our expectations were just too high and now we find ourselves face down in the mud.

What has happened so far? Well, for a start, we have deputy prime minister tainted with allegations of corruption, a human resources minister who till now does not appear to know right from wrong, clueless health and education ministers, followed by uncalled-for raids on a popular watch outlet.

In fact, the situation has reached such a boiling point that I read in some chats asking Muhyiddin Yassin to become prime minister again as the economy was better under him.

I don’t know about the rest of the voters, but sadly, the ones I know seem to be on the lookout for an alternative who can better serve their needs.

For the man in the street, it is all about having a comfortable life and putting food on the table. 

Sadly, this is not happening and most of the current ministers seem too caught up in their own messes.

Also, I find it hard to justify calling the current administration a “Unity Government”. 

Where is the unity? We still have Umno members belittling Anwar and making regular scathing attacks against him.

To many of us, we just perceive the current administration as one hanging on to power which may quickly fall apart following the continued discontent among the public.

The truth is the government is crumbling and, in reality, the Malays are not hardline and do not want the Talibanisation of Malaysia.

They are merely disgruntled with the economy and the hypocrisy in the political path that the coalition government has chosen.

I believe all Malaysians want a solid economic guarantee; if PAS and Perikatan Nasional can guarantee this, we are prepared to explore alternatives.

You cannot fault us for doing this as the “Unity Government” continues making hollow promises and harps on a compassionate Madani economy yet they do not walk the talk, and things are just getting worse.

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