Harapan's old guard must make the ultimate sacrifice - step down
It’s been two days since Pakatan Harapan’s defeat in the Malacca polls, and time has allowed for a more sober review of what went wrong for the opposition and what it could have done better.
But even without a clouded vision, one point still juts out. It is time for Harapan’s old guard to make the ultimate sacrifice and step down.
Here are two major things we can glean from Saturday’s election:
- The majority of Malay voters are still not attracted to Harapan and the boost in support it got when Bersatu was with the coalition has followed the party to Perikatan Nasional (PN); and
- There is disenfranchisement among Harapan supporters, a large number of whom are believed to have skipped the Malacca election.
Harapan must address both issues quickly if it wants a fighting chance in the next general election.
The solution for both problems must realistically include a refresh in Harapan that can’t be done without sacrifices.
Since PKR's and Amanah's appeal among Malays has likely plateaued, it is DAP that must make more inroads among the community.
But this can’t be done with the old guard.
Make way for new party leaders
Like it or not, figures such as Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, and P Ramasamy have become synonymous with the anti-Malay DAP bogeyman that Umno, Bersatu and PAS like to harp on.
Short of converting to Islam, it is unlikely that there is anything these veterans can do to soften their image among Malays.
Guan Eng and Kit Siang have tried. They have attempted to show and prove that they respect Malays and Islam but it’s just not working and not enough people are convinced.
Thus, if these veterans really do have DAP’s interest at heart and if they really want their party to make more inroads among the Malay community - they must step aside and make way for new leaders.
For Guan Eng - who has had a prolonged tenure as DAP secretary-general, thanks to the Registrar of Societies - it is insufficient for him to relinquish the post.
It is widely expected that, in the forthcoming DAP central election, Guan Eng will become the next party chairperson.
While the party’s secretary-general is formally the DAP top leader, if Guan Eng becomes chairperson he will be viewed as a puppet master who is still calling the shots in the party, much like when former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad wielded ultimate power in Bersatu before the Sheraton Move.
No, Guan Eng must not take on the mantle of chairperson and the party should not elect him to that post if DAP wants to have a fresh start with the Malay community.
New and moderate forces must be allowed to lead DAP, to strike a balance between its “liberal” ideals and the conservative realities of Malaysian politics.
If DAP can do this, it will benefit not just the party, but all its allies as well.
If enough inroads are made, this could force Umno, Bersatu and PAS to play the moderate game as well - if they want to retain the votes of rational-minded Malays, which will, in turn, benefit Malaysians as a whole.
The same can be said for PKR and Amanah.
No more nostalgic notions
PKR president Anwar Ibrahim’s continued failure to “restore” Harapan’s mandate clearly shows that harping on nostalgia does not work.
His party PKR had been insistent that Harapan uses the party’s logo to reignite the 2018 general election.
But the results of the Malacca polls clearly show that voters are savvy enough to keep up with logos.
Why else would PN, which contested under its logo for the first time in the peninsula, be able to put up such a strong fight in BN strongholds and even win in Sungai Udang and Bemban?
No, the magic of 2018 is gone. Nostalgia from 2018 is not enough to inspire voters, what more nostalgia from 1998 - especially when considering that Undi18 will bring in a whole batch of voters who weren’t even born when Reformasi occurred.
Trying to revive nostalgia by any means necessary, at the cost of principles, also does not work.
Hence it is time for Anwar, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and the like to step down and let fresh faces with fresh ideas lead their parties.
Yes, Anwar has done much to bring Harapan together, and other leaders such as Mohamad, Kit Siang and Guan Eng have already sacrificed much and fought hard to make Malaysia a better place.
Their work should not be diminished and forgotten, but it’s time to let others make a name for themselves.
Yes, there will be a power vacuum when they step down, but it is a fallacy to say that no one can step up and lead.
Yes, new leaders will make mistakes and they will screw up - but they can learn from those mistakes and improve.
The new must be released from the shackles of the old.
The old must make the ultimate sacrifice for the love of our country. - Mkini
ZIKRI KAMARULZAMAN is a member of Malaysiakini Team.
✍ Credit given to the original owner of this post : ☕ Malaysians Must Know the TRUTH
🌐 Hit This Link To Find Out More On Their Articles...🏄🏻♀️ Enjoy Surfing!
Post a Comment