From P Ramasamy
It is hilarious to hear that Pejuang is positioning itself to lead the opposition to fight the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) in the next general election (GE15) with its anti-corruption agenda.
Pejuang’s chairman and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad thinks the party can lead the battle against Umno/BN the way it was done in the last general election (GE14) in May 2018.
Mahathir might have led PH then, but he was the same person responsible for undermining the then ruling coalition, leading to its downfall as a result of the infamous Sheraton Move.
It is not whether Pejuang can lead the PH coalition. Instead, the question is whether the coalition is going to trust Mahathir again.
Once bitten, twice shy.
Mahathir can talk about being the champion of the anti-corruption crusade in the country.
But what about the earlier 22 years when he was the prime minister? Didn’t his pro-Malay policies encourage and condone corruption among the Umno elite in the name of addressing the economic grievances of the Malays?
Didn’t his close cronies – both Malays and non-Malays – benefit from government policies and economic handouts?
If this is not corruption, what is corruption then?
What about his family members? Did they slog their way up to attain social and economic status, or did they benefit due to family connections?
Isn’t that corruption?
Pejuang shouldn’t think and act as though it is the only party with the sole right to define and label those who are corrupt.
Of course, there are those in Umno who have been labelled as corrupt and Mahathir has expressed his disgust at them.
However, there are those who have indulged in acts of corruption but are considered allies of Pejuang and Mahathir. They seem to be exempted from being labelled as corrupt.
Sorry to say, but Mahathir hardly fits the bill of a person or a leader who is well regarded in the matter of fighting corruption.
Also, Mahathir cannot be a changed man twice.
I don’t think that PH is in a position to trust him, not just on the issue of eradicating corruption, but to give him the responsibility to lead the country once again.
PH will be mad to trust Mahathir a second time. The leopard never changes its spots.
Mahathir must also realise that he is a spent force in Malaysian politics.
The recently held Johor elections is proof of that and a sad reminder of the political limits of Pejuang.
For a party that lost its election deposits in all 42 seats contested, it should just wither away from the realm of Malaysian politics.
P Ramasamy is a Penang deputy chief minister.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
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