Bersatu - a sturdy pillar or a fast-flying cloud?

The only way to prevent another political crisis from engulfing the country is for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to go to the palace again to seek the dissolution of Parliament to pave the way for a snap general election.

Muhyiddin and his coalition partners in Perikatan Nasional are hanging by a thread and the PN government could fall any time, should the wind shift direction. With a razor-thin majority, PN does not have the stability and strength needed to steer the country on a steady course.

Left in this perilous situation, the coalition of treacherous bedfellows can only resort to underhand tactics to stay in power. Then, every day, they will have to live in constant fear of being toppled because they do not have the moral authority of holding on to their seats.

How can the country live in peace when rumours of the imminent demise of PN make the rounds? How can the government concentrate on fighting the coronavirus enemy when it is also fighting for its own political survival? How can democracy thrive when Parliament is practically moribund?

Muhyiddin must be spending sleepless nights worrying whether his party Bersatu will still be around when he wakes up the next day. Every rustle he detects, every shadow he sees and every whisper he hears must be unsettling to his nerves.

Every wakeful night he must also be wondering what that foxy, wily Dr Mahathir Mohamad has got up his sleeves this time. Or whether PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim has got the numbers on his side. Or even whether his "shotgun marriage" with Umno and PAS - two bigoted heavyweights in the alliance - can last the pace.

Muhyiddin will see no end to his political troubles, given his rather unceremonious rise to the pinnacle of power. He cannot call himself the master of his own house when his hold on Putrajaya is slippery.

Bersatu's position in the 10-member alliance is not strong enough for it to move forward on its own steam. It has to lean on the arms of the other partners to make itself credible and presentable.

The question that looms large is: can a party helmed by an uninspiring leader win back the trust of the people? Muhyiddin will find it really tough to work his way back into the people's confidence after his appalling conduct in pulling his party out of Pakatan Harapan.

It is only proper for Muhyiddin to seek the people's mandate again to gauge the popularity of his party and whether it can be the dominant player for the next 60 years.

A snap election will end the uncertainty that has marked the political journey of PN from the time of its "royal birth". It will also give the people the chance to speak their mind about many of Muhyiddin's controversial moves.

More importantly, a snap general election will let the people vent their pent-up anger on all the unprincipled politicians, including Muhyiddin, who betrayed their trust by forming an unholy alliance with Umno and PAS.

Without a quick resolution to the simmering political crisis, the new normal will see Muhyiddin still keeping his unsocial distance from Parliament while he calculates his chances of staying politically alive.

Even if he manages to forge a stronger coalition, the patchwork of parties will not capture the public imagination because it is an arrangement that lacks the force of a truly representative character.

An early general election will be a real test of Bersatu's political mettle. It will show whether it is made of sterner stuff or is just a fleeting meteor, a fast-flying cloud, a bad dream.

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PHLIP RODRIGUES is a retired journalist. - Mkini

✍ Credit given to the original owner of this post : ☕ Malaysians Must Know the TRUTH

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