TAKING a cue from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s favourite term, “zaman edan” which means age of insanity, BERSAMA’s most prominent leader has pointed out that Malaysian politics has been insane since the 1980s.
Malaysian politics became insane because Malaysians allowed it to be so, stressed Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli.
He was worried that the insanity for the sake of power would lead Malaysia to the same path as its neighbour, Indonesia.
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto and former president Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, were rivals turned allies for the sake of power but today Jokowi’s son Gibran Rakabuming Raka was forced to resign as vice-president due to forgery in academic credentials and the nation’s economy is in tatters.
They used the law selectively and changed narratives. All this was done because they believed in a political strategy.
The former economy minister is worried that Malaysians will accept whatever that is served politically. All the rules, regulations, law, manners are shoved aside for the sake of a winning strategy.
Reminiscing back to 2022 when Pakatan Harapan had to form a coalition government due to the Agong’s advice, Rafizi believed that PH was conned for the sake of a winning strategy.
“They used their lust for power to reject all that was disagreeable to BN. There were no racial issues. All for the sake of a political union strategy… that way we can be government.”
The Terengganu-born, ex-deputy president of PKR also pointed out that PAS was not a political saint either.
People in Terengganu had witnessed UMNO-PAS enmity which was not prevalent in the west coast of Peninsula Malaysia in the 1980s.
UMNO equivalent to septic tank for PAS in 1980s
The east coast state witnessed Malays not eating at each other’s homes and two imams phenomena because PAS claimed UMNO used constitution of the infidels.
PAS who hated Anwar – then an UMNO leader – equated UMNO to a septic tank. They would not enter a septic tank to clean it up because they would get dirty in the process of doing so.
In 1998, then PAS president Datuk Fadzil Noor joined forces with PKR that led to the formation of Pakatan Rakyat along with DAP.
Fast forward to the 2013 general election, the former Pandan MP revealed that there were some quarters instigating Anwar to opt for street demonstrations because Anwar failed to form a government.
Stressing that he did not want people’s blood in his hands, Black 505 rally was launched at the Kelana Jaya stadium to calm the masses amid claims of vote fraud.
When Anwar eventually formed the government in 2022 with UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as his deputy, PAS went ballistics at Zahid. They hammered him with the discharged not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) related to 47 charges.
PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang even claimed that there was no DNAA in Islam in his parliamentary speech delivered in Sept 2023.
Are we imparting the right values to the young?
The Yang Berhenti Menteri podcast host questioned whether it is the right way to lead the younger generation.
The examples that the elders are showing indicates that principles, right and wrong can be changed as one wish.
Reflecting upon himself, the father of one said his son would know that he opposed whoever who was involved in theft.
The 49-year-old politician also hit out at Anwar for pushing aside principles for the sake of retaining power.
Anwar claimed that UMNO practiced ‘sakau’ (embezzlement) but opts to be silent on matters related to his former aide, Datuk Seri Farhash Wafa Salvador who became rich in a quick time and is alleged mired in controversies including one on corporate mafia.
The BERSAMA man believed that the people would return the sanity of society in the age of insanity by choosing morality and principles over politicians’ winning strategy. – Nov 13, 2026.
Main image credit: Youtube/Rafizi Ramli
