The rakyat's dilemma with new gov't

COMMENT | Many like me worry about the future of the country. The recent collapse of Pakatan Harapan and the emergence of Umno as part of the new government has shocked the nation. It was the way they came into power that was the problem.

What does the new government mean to the country? What are the possible implications of the change? Will race relations reach a new low?

Some Malays feel relieved that Malay dominance has been re-established. Some Malays are quite happy that DAP is not part of the government anymore.

Non-Malays are worried about the direction that the country may now take with PAS as a major component of the government.

Many Malaysians - Malays and non-Malays alike - are concerned about the governance of the nation. We are in the middle of major trials of former leaders of the country and all of them are from Umno. What will happen to these trials? Some of them are quite complex.

Tommy Thomas has resigned as attorney-general and will no longer be available to prosecute them. He will also no longer be engaged in the pursuit of actions against Goldman Sachs or in other actions to recover assets acquired with 1MDB money. So has Latheefa Koya (below) as MACC chief.

Will ongoing trials proceed with the same vigour? What are the arrangements made or understandings reached between members of the new coalition?

Bersatu is arguably the smallest member of the new coalition in comparison to Umno and PAS. Muhyiddin Yassin is the prime minister. Who will be members of his cabinet? Will any of those facing charges be appointed to his cabinet? Will Azmin Ali be made the deputy prime minister? Or will it be someone from Umno Will there be a deputy minister from East Malaysia?

Will all parties to the new coalition be accepted as equals just as Bersatu was in Harapan? Umno and PAS are formidable parties and there is a widespread belief that if elections were held soon, they would win hands down. When elections are called, how will they allocate seats among themselves?

Ideologically, there is nothing to distinguish Bersatu from Umno except the former was part of Harapan and many of their members fought against Umno and PAS in GE14. And Umno has moved closer to PAS to better fight the alleged threats to Malays and Muslims.

There was a preparedness to concede the PM's post to Muhyiddin as the prize for the capture of the government. But for how long and on what terms? Anyway, it was not a decision for them to make.

Now things are different. When Harapan was in power, Umno and PAS could not call for elections. They have that power now. They can choose the time to dissolve Parliament and call for elections.

Is there still life in Harapan? Will the coalition hold? Will they still pursue their right to form the government based on seat count? Or will they settle with being a strong Opposition? Will it still be Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s unity government? That will not work when you are in the Opposition.

If a snap election is called, how will Harapan fight the elections? What will be their battle cry to mobilise the people? Can they re-capture the spirit of GE14?

Before GE14, many social activists and NGOs were galvanised into action demanding change. Bersih was a major player. PKR and DAP will be a major force in the Opposition and have come close to winning general elections in the past.

They had already denied BN their two-thirds majority. Of course, at that time, PAS was with them.

Interestingly, the DAP was quite comfortable with PAS being in the government with them in Penang and Selangor. And PAS was quite comfortable sitting on the same side as the DAP. But that was PAS under the leadership of Nik Aziz (below). It is astonishing how one leader can make such a difference.

Have circumstances changed now? The electorate are tired and disillusioned. The promised reforms were slow in coming and there was the constant infighting within PKR and the wrangling over when Anwar Ibrahim would succeed Mahathir. Can they be stirred into action?

Is there any prospect of Mahathir and his supporters regaining power now? What is the case for the electorate that supported them in GE14 to support them again? What are the arguments for them to canvass for more Malay support?

Is there the mood and the energy for another intense fight at the polls?

There may be the inclination to wait and see what the new PM will do. He has said that he will only appoint clean members to his cabinet. 

It is hard to see how he can reverse course on 1MDB. The trials will have to continue and those charged will have to wait the determination of the courts. Any interference with the process will have serious implications to our criminal justice system, our judiciary, our investment climate and even to our ability to recover money stolen from 1MDB or keep or seize assets purchased with 1MDB money. The rakyat may not want that.

The economy will be a big issue. Already the markets are down as is the value of our currency. The China-US trade war and the coronavirus epidemic has affected trade and tourism. Many jobs and businesses are at risk. Our debt level is high and our capacity to borrow is stretched. Further borrowings will be expensive and may affect our ratings.

Then, there is the PAS factor. What will PAS want as the price for its support and participation in the new coalition? Under Nik Aziz, they were content with good honest governance. What will Abdul Hadi Awang (below) want? 

How much more Islamisation can we take? Do we bring in hudud laws? Is there a model of an Islamic state we can follow?

Almost no Islamic state is a democracy. 

What will the new coalition do to the 40 percent non-Malays and non-Muslims in the country? The Chinese are an important business community. They pay a lot of taxes. The Indians are already marginalised. It is hard to see how much more they can be pushed down or excluded from everything. The Orang Asli and the indigenous people of Sabah and Sarawak are desperately poor.

Both Sabah and Sarawak demand fairer treatment. They want more development. They want MA63 honoured.

In the past, arrangements were made with their leaders to secure their political support and we did not care what happened to their people. Is that possible today?

Whether it is Muhyiddin or Mahathir they know that Malaysia is a complex country to govern. Many of the pledges made by Harapan would be good for all the people of this country if implemented. Harapan did not have enough Malay support. But the position of the Malays was never at risk with Mahathir at the helm.

It would be foolish to undo or reverse the reforms already made by Harapan. It would make good sense for the new government to implement the promised reforms. That would be his legacy as the new prime minister?

Muhyiddin was deputy prime minister of the past BN government. He was sacked when he raised questions about 1MDB. He was part of the Harapan government. He fought alongside Mahathir and Anwar and pledged reforms. Those reforms were intended to ensure a corrupt-free government, a vigorous democracy and strong checks and balances to ensure a fair and just government upholding the rule of law.

Are those not desirable goals for any government? All Malaysians, whether Malay or non-Malays, would want those reforms made. Good governance cannot be bad for us.

Is that all a dream now? Or will the new PM surprise us all? 

DAVID DASS is a lawyer, Malaysiakini subscriber and commentator.

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