COMMENT | Harapan's 'New Deal' and democratic change

COMMENT | The squabbling among component party leaders in the fledgeling Perikatan Nasional (PN) has shown the weakness of the unelected ruling coalition, and it looks like it’s going to crack anytime and the government may soon fall.

The current Covid-19 outbreak is one of the most challenging periods in Malaysia. Although there are signs of the pandemic slowing down, it is far from over until a vaccine is found and universally distributed. Until then, people’s lives are still at risk.

Yet PN leaders continue to scramble for positions, putting profit before people. This is a good reminder for Pakatan Harapan that the duty of the government is to ensure the well-being of the people by putting them first.

Lest we forget, the legitimate Harapan government failed in part because it was pulled apart by the extreme voices on the racial fringes. To a certain extent, some of the leaders then did not put lives and livelihood as our main agenda as they too were sucked into racial politics.

Two years ago, Malaysia was bucking the trend of democratic deficit and increasing authoritarianism. It was an uplifting and inspiring story...