Colossal defeat in Tg Piai demands reshuffling head of cabinet, Ezam tells Dr M

Former senator Ezam Mohd Nor has dismissed Pakatan Harapan's post-mortem of its bludgeoning in the recent Tanjung Piai by-election.

Reiterating his call for Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to step down, he reminded the coalition that it was defeated in the polls by a colossal 15,000 votes.

According to Exam, the post-mortem was carried out as if Harapan lost the parliament seat in Johor by a mere 500 votes.

“There is a big difference between losing and winning by 500 and 15,000 votes... This is not an ordinary defeat, it is an extraordinary defeat,” he added in a statement this afternoon.

Ezam also described the proposal to reshuffle the cabinet in response to the Tanjung Piai outcome as ineffective in reversing Harapan's political fortunes.

“A cabinet reshuffle is not something extraordinary, it is an ordinary thing.

“In the case of the Harapan government, the cabinet reshuffle should have happened a long time ago without having to wait for the message from Tanjung Piai.

“An extraordinary defeat demands an extraordinary response,” he added.

Ezam asked if Harapan had become just as insensitive as BN, pointing out that while it took the latter six decades to reach that point, the current ruling coalition, however, is suffering from a similar condition after just 18 months in power.

The former senator also accused Harapan of hypocrisy and double standard, where in the past all of BN's defeats were blamed on former premier Najib Abdul Razak but Mahathir is not being held responsible now.

“Yes, the people are angry with cabinet ministers. But is it not the prerogative of the PM to hire and fire ministers? Why is he stubborn in not wanting to drop underperforming ministers?

“Why does he continue to defend ministers who have no dignity and those with serious allegations against them?

“Yes, people are upset about racial politics. But wasn't the PM's Malay Dignity Congress a major catalyst for this?

“Yes, the voters are confused. Weren't the PM's allies during GE14, PKR, DAP and Amanah?

“But after the election, at the Malay Dignity Congress, the same PM joined hands with his foes in GE14, Umno and PAS? So, who is confusing the people? Is it not the PM himself,” he added.

Ezam said the Tanjung Piai polls sent a clear message that a new prime minister must usher in a new narrative for Harapan.

“The (current) PM needs to stop pussyfooting. Do the right thing. Please step down and step down now.

“If defeated by 500 votes, that is an ordinary defeat and the response can be ordinary – a cabinet reshuffle.

“But losing by 15,000 votes is an extraordinary defeat, and it requires an extraordinary response. Reshuffle the head of the cabinet,” he added.