YOURSAY | Stop pandering and focus on the economy

YOURSAY | ‘It should have a strategy to benefit all people and all states.‘

COMMENT | For Anwar, ‘It’s the economy, stupid’

Apa pun boleh: Malaysiakini columnist P Gunasegaram’s advice is timely. The state polls were also timely as a referendum and an insight into the strengths of the contending factions.

But we have to move on. Too much time and energy has gone into poaching for Perikatan Nasional voters in their toxic territory.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim might have fared much better had he focused more on retaining the Pakatan Harapan states rather than seeking fodder in the enemy base.

It is painful that PN is having the last laugh sitting in Harapan land while having rebuffed (annihilated) Harapan from setting foot in PN territory.

Among the lessons from the state polls are:

1. Change your strategy.

2. Stop chasing illusions.

3. Don’t bend backward to appease (to not spook) the 3R (race, religion, and royalty) die-hards.

4. Stop throwing taxpayers' funds away for futile causes (poaching votes).

5. Secure what you have (a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush).

6. Don’t take non-Malays for granted. They too have their limits.  

Selangor could have easily slipped through Harapan’s fingers if not for the conscientious and gigantic effort of Harapan’s long-suffering faithful base.

They could see Selangor on the verge of drifting to PN. Unlike those who have to be pampered, not spooked, and rewarded for support, Selangorians never asked for anything to salvage the state.

IndigoTrout2522: It should be pointed out that the federal coalition government still won more total votes than PN (which is PAS).

The government did focus somewhat on the economy but the perception of the Malays is that it was not.

The government should focus even more on the economy and improvement must be so large that it becomes apparent to anyone.

The other is to continue to fight corruption and finally implement structural, parliamentary, electoral, and other reforms.

One problem is the government’s failure to communicate effectively and pandering too much to the extremists and PAS states.

It should have a strategy to benefit all people and all states.

The government should stop talking too much and making promises that it can not deliver.

Reshuffle the cabinet and bring in qualified, competent, and incorruptible professionals. So start working and it will regain the trust and confidence of the people.

Maya: Everyone is skirting the truth. The politicking has not ended and Anwar is going to continue to have tough days ahead.

The people who everyone thought and hoped to be defeated are still at the forefront. Just imagine a state (Terengganu) that has won 100 percent with no opposition.

Two other states (Kedah and Kelantan) have minuscule opposition. What about mainland Penang?

Everyone said that the state elections would tell some stories. Yes, it has done so.

The government will not be able to hold on to solid power, especially with Umno as good as gone.

PN will use this weakness to its advantage. There is more to come, it’s not over for Anwar, who made unwise moves to play and influence the majority.

It was never going to work and he was adamant. How unstable the government is going to be, remains to be seen.

As for DAP, they are happy that they have their island for themselves.

I am sure with the Sheraton Move man’s win, which has made many eat humble pie, there will be unpredictable moves.

Look at how even the worst can still win and still have the “trust” of the voters. Some states are just going to be walkovers in the future, just like Terengganu.

The economy will continue to be on the back burner. Handouts will be a norm, as Anwar hangs on and DAP will continue its silent stance.

Almost all ministers have little calibre for managing their portfolios, except for some silly policies, which have little chance for the people's wellbeing.

Finally, the biggest tool, the 3Rs will continue to be played out without fear. Religious politics will be at the forefront whether we like it or not.

What about the judiciary?  All the cases that are pending and dragging on, only to see no end or otherwise.

This includes all defamation cases too. Will all these bring change or expose the truth? Depends and mostly not at all.

The “it’s still better than PN-PAS” rhetoric will continue to haunt many, failing to realise that that very fear is the one that will finally overwhelm them.  

Whether it is going to be a Sheraton Move, a backdoor, or the 16th general election, the truth is nothing’s going to change for the better.

Man on the Silver Mountain: I couldn't agree more. It is the economy, not because of anything, but because it is just the right thing to do. It is the thing that Anwar had set out to do.

By taking the controversial finance minister’s portfolio himself, he made no mistake that this is one area that he paid attention to.

The only thing is, his plans don’t seem to have taken off and people are getting restless.

Needless to say, it is also good ammunition for the opposition parties.  

At the risk of being repetitive, since the writer has said it all, Anwar’s obvious option now is to focus on the economy.

There is no more excuse not to start showing the result.

The state elections are over. Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli and other Harapan business experts should show what they are made of and turn the country around.

Once that’s the direction, unequivocally stated, there will be no more pandering to the religious bigots because that would hurt non-Malay support in Harapan.

You can still help the Malays in affirmative action, the status quo, but you should cut off any pretension of any religious agenda.  

When the focus is on the economy, people will know, and maybe PAS will try to resurface some religious issues, and that’s all they can do.

Milshah: I agree with what Gunasegaram says about the economy. Improve the economy and help everyone.

But then again, isn’t that what any government would do?

I think Harapan’s problem is a structural issue.

As Gunasegaram says, the basis is zero tolerance for corruption, and yet Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has 47 corruption-related court cases.

Yes, innocent until proven guilty but from a voter’s perception, you talk about anti-corruption but how about your deputy prime minister?

They don’t need to think in detail. They feel it is not right, they just tick PN during voting. It is as simple as that.

The same with Umno and with DAP. I know many good DAP leaders and have nothing against them.

The perception is that DAP and Umno don’t mix.

DAP is a meritocracy-driven and Malaysian Malaysia party but Umno is about Malay rights.

Umno and DAP are from the same coalition but have opposing ideologies. I agree Harapan needs to relook its alliance with Umno.

Umno will fail to deliver the Malay votes come the next general election. If Harapan were to give 222 seats to Umno to contest, Harapan would lose.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/675707 (fail to deliver)

That’s how bad Umno currently is. I may exaggerate but Umno won only 17.5 percent of the 108 seats it contested in the state elections.

However, having said that, can Harapan afford to lose the 30 seats Umno has in Parliament? No, because the government will collapse.

Expect PN to win the next general election. 

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