A New Alliance

By Zaid Ibrahim

Like many Malaysians today, I think our country’s politics is on the verge of breakdown. The Pakatan Rakyat has not managed to play a meaningful political role as a federal Opposition. The checks and balances they are supposed to provide have given way to so much hostility that they will shoot down everything the Barisan Nasional proposes, even good ideas.

This behaviour automatically triggers equally vicious reactions from the BN and there is so much mutual hatred even in Parliament that we wonder whether good laws are being made. How can there be? There is so little real debate. There is almost no engagement between the two sides.

Leaders in the BN and Pakatan seem interested only in annihilating each other. One side can “gain” only if the other side “loses”, but the reality is that no one wins in this kind of system. It is unhealthy and it is certainly not democratic. This endless acrimony brings no benefit to the Rakyat. They are disappointed by all the broken promises, the absent leadership, and the blind pursuit of power that puts party politics above all else.

Many openly say the BN is no longer a working coalition. Some of the major component parties nolonger enjoy the support of their constituents and they cannot come to the table as equal partners as they once did. Only UMNO continues to wield its traditional influence—but without the strength of its partners to bring balance, UMNO too has changed. It has become autocratic and fixed in its ways. It is unaware, or afraid, of the need to change. It has become deaf to the needs of others.

Even now there is a movement within UMNO that wants more seats at the next General Election at the expense of the component parties. If this happens, the BN will cease to be a coalition even in name. It will no longer represent Malaysians. It will represent only its own interests and I fear for my country and my fellow citizens should that day ever come.

What about the Pakatan? Not only has it failed to provide a real and constructive Opposition to the Government, it has positioned Anwar as beyond question and reproach. He can do no wrong and his “coalition” follows him blindly out of politically expedience.

Anwar is a convenient figurehead, and he is the only person holding the Pakatan together. PAS and the DAP are still utterly divided on the issue of the Islamic state. They have merely postponed their differences—not resolved them—for the sake of achieving political power. In situations like this, basic questions of right and wrong get lost in the mud of ambition. Why should a coalition depend exclusively on the cult-status of one man alone?

How can we expect the Pakatan to provide responsible leadership if it simply ignores its own internal differences? Have we even seen any evidence that the Pakatan is a real coalition and not a marriage of convenience?

No, we haven’t, and because they are locked in the endless death-struggle with the BN, we can’texpect anything more of them either.

So, what about the rest of us who are sick of this endless political feuding? There are many of us who adhere closely to the founding principles of our nation regardless of the political leadership of the day. We put national unity first, and we work tirelessly to ensure, as Tunku Abdul Rahman wanted, a place in the sun for everyone.

We yearn for real debate on policies that affect us because we know that this is the process through which we make good laws. We want to engage all sides because we recognise that good ideas exist everywhere, regardless of creed, colour or political affiliation. We never dismiss an argument simply because we don’t like the person who says it—we evaluate proposals on their own merit for the benefit of all Malaysians, not just a particular party, ideology or interest.

Why don’t these Malaysians have a voice in our national political debate? Is it true that to take part in these discussions, we have to be either BN or Pakatan? Of course not. But we need to provide a new space so that individuals—and parties—that have been marginalised by the BN-Pakatan divide may come together.

We need a new alliance made up of Malaysians sincerely committed to a civil society, policy and the public interest.

But unlike the BN and Pakatan, this alliance agrees only on the fundamental principle that each of us has a right to express our views on policy and public issues, and to be heard. Our entitlement is to mutual respect. Our privilege is the responsibility we bear to ensure that each and every one of us gets a fair hearing.

This is how we can rebuild constructive engagement in our political landscape. And yes, we have to rebuild it brick by brick because it has been destroyed—this is an admission we must be honest and courageous enough to make. If the BN and Pakatan cannot recognise the good in each other on matters of national importance, then a new alliance must bridge the divide by being a “Loyal Opposition” devoted to Malaysia and the interests of its diverse peoples.

Such an alliance will provide valuable constructive criticism - or support - to the government of the day, whether at the state or federal level, and it is only through this process that we can reshape our political landscape and return to it the principles of parliamentary democracy that we cherish so much.