BY now, most Malaysians are already accustomed to doublespeak, if not outright lies that politicians spew as a matter of course.
Be it the “agama, bangsa dan negara” (religion, race and nation) drivel or the “I’m doing this for my voters” BS, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that many of us rather trust scammers than politicians.
The on-going campaigning for the Mahkota by-election in Johor is yet another raw display of politicians’ willingness to sell their soul to stay in power.
First of all, let’s look at the candidates. On the one corner we have UMNO’s Kluang division youth chief Syed Hussein Syed Abdullah pitted against Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) ex-state footballer Mohammad Haizan Jaafar in a straight fight.
Rightfully, the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional (PH-BN) versus PN match is nothing new. Except in the Johor state assembly, it’s not.
Unlike other states, BN is very much in control in Johor after the coalition seized a commanding 39 of the 56 seats in the state legislature during the 2022 state polls.
The unity government at the Federal level does not exist in the state which held its polls months before the 15th General Election (GE15).
In fact, PH is technically an opposition in Johor. The Opposition leader in the legislature, officially called Ketua Pihak Pengimbang, is Stulang assemblyman Andew Chen Kah Eng from DAP.
DAP, MCA put animosity aside?
But the Mahkota polls has seen the PH stumping for BN, the coalition it is technically opposed to in the state government.
In other words, instead of rooting for its fellow opposition candidate from PN, PH is working with the “enemy” ie to fortify BN.
This is the same BN that denies the opposition assemblymen equal access to funds for its constituents compared with those from the ruling coalition.
With PH taking on the role as “cheerleader” for the Johor BN candidate, who will be holding the state government to account?
Or is this something that can be sacrificed for the sake of the Federal unity government’s survival? Why can’t PH be the Opposition at the Johor level and be part of the Government at the Federal level like how it operates in Sarawak?
What’s more revolting is that during the campaigning trail during the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration on Sept 17, archenemies – MCA and the DAP – spared no expense pretending it’s all hunky-dory just to score brownie points among Chinese voters.
MCA’s Yong Peng assemblyman Ling Tian Soon pointed out in his speech how his party boss Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong’s shirt matched Kluang DAP MP Wong Shu Qi’s red cheongsam that night.
Ling then jokingly asked on stage whether the two leaders had planned to wear a “couple’s suit”.
Subsequently, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Onn Hafiz teased that since Wong and MCA’s Paloh assemblyman Lee Ting Han (who was also present) were single, they might just tie the knot after the polls.
These may seem like light-hearted jabs but the motivations behind them are clear as daylight: it’s a shameless attempt to hoodwink voters that all is fine with the Federal unity government – at least, until Sept 28 when voters go to the ballot boxes. Then, it’s back to free-for-all.
These politikus just needed that small window to put up the charade in the hope that voters will fall for the fake bearhugs and mutual exchanges in sham adulation with the hope that the “X” marked on the ballot papers on polling day will be to their advantage.
So, when the curtain falls on Sept 28, rest assured that the friendly handshakes, coordinated outfits and staged banter will vanish quicker than viral posts about Uncle Roger’s new restaurant.
Because nothing says “integrity” quite like pretending to like your sworn enemies for a few votes – only to return to BAU (business as usual) once the ballot boxes are counted. – Sept 19, 2024
Main image credit: Wee Ka Siong/Facebook
