WHAT political stability? The question was the first of the many things that came to mind after news that Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has urged MPs to focus on the country’s COVID-19 response first and not ‘hijack’ the existing political ‘stability’ broke out recently.
Writing on his personal blog, Hishammuddin said that the country requires political stability to deal with the pandemic, and that this stability may allow Parliament to reopen.
What political stability indeed? Judging from the number of political infightings that seem to be making headlines lately (yes, even coming from his own party), isn’t it more accurate to say that there is no ‘stability’ at all?
What’s particularly galling is also the fact that Hishammuddin further claimed that the same political stability may also give MPs the right to ask questions, and the Government to answer during parliamentary sessions.
Considering the fact that not allowing Parliament to open has been the only consistent narrative from the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration since the proclamation of Emergency came into effect in January, his statement seemed rather out of touch with reality.
This is simply because the only thing that the Emergency has successfully accomplished so far is muting the voice of MPs whose function is to ‘ask questions’ and to provide necessary checks and balances to the Government’s policies, especially during these trying times.
Hishammuddin calling for all MPs to “work together as a collective” seems off the mark as well, seeing as to how the Opposition has been pleading for a whole-of-society approach to dealing with the pandemic in the first place.
For all their efforts, it’s disappointing that their offers to help – and their pleas for help – have mostly fallen to deaf ears. Is this really how “work together as a collective” works these days?
Even more absurd is Hishammuddin further claims that Malaysians should not be dragged into the scene of yet another power struggle, seeing as to how that ship has sailed a long time ago.
In fact, he seemed to have forgotten (or conveniently overlooked the fact) that the power struggle that had occurred during the pandemic has almost always been between UMNO and Bersatu, with other political parties occasionally jumping into the fray as well.
Malaysians were certainly ‘dragged into the scene’ when Tan Sri Mahiaddin Yassin, who is also Bersatu president, wrestled power from the previous Government in what has been called the most treacherous coup in Malaysian political history.
The result of this hijack of power is the illegitimate PN Government in which Hishammuddin’s own party is a part of.
So, while Hishammuddin’s attempt to call for calm amid the COVID-19 pandemic is commendable, urging MPs to not ‘hijack’ the existing political stability is certainly not the best approach.
In fact, this is akin to adding more fuel to the fire, and this is the last thing anyone would want in this situation. – June 27, 2021
