THE attacks by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s political foes on the Pakatan Harapan (PH) unity government are baseless and stem from resentment, said Otai Reformis.
According to its pro-tem chairperson Mustapa Mansor, Perikatan Nasional (PN) uses certain narratives to cause a split within the government as they had no other way of ensuring their political survival other than disrupting and weakening the unity in Putrajaya.
Among such narratives include the “attack” on the reform agenda championed by Anwar and his supporters, which often saw the Tambun MP’s political foes twisting the word “reformasi” to mock the government.
Words like “reformati” (dead reforms) and “reforbasi” (stale reforms) had found their way on social media and at rallies and gatherings, only to recently grow in volume after PH began working with its former political foe Barisan Nasional (BN) to form the coalition government after the 15th general election (GE15).
The opposition’s criticism was also further fueled by the recent discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) granted to Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in his Yayasan Akalbudi corruption case.
“After GE15, Harapan garnered 84 parliamentary seats, which was short of the 112 seats needed for a simple majority to form the government,” Mustapa was quoted saying in a Malaysiakini report.
“Thus, the reform-championing party heeded the advice of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and implemented a few strategies to work with its former foe BN.”
Mustapa also pointed out that PN’s relentless attacks against Anwar are due to bitterness of not being able to form the federal government after GE15.
“With the fight for ‘reformasi’ approaching its 25th year, I hope my friends will be more committed to bringing about changes in the country,” he remarked.
“I’m confident that in the next five years if we remain consistent with the reform agenda through the Madani approach, Malaysians will enjoy better freedom of speech, freedom in politics, and better life values.”
When asked about the backlash against Zahid’s DNAA, Mustapa emphasised that it was purely a PN-created narrative, as Anwar already made it clear that he does not intervene in court cases.
“Zahid’s DNAA ‘coincidentally’ happened during Anwar’s administration, which has culminated in the latter being accused of failed reforms.
“I would like to stress that ‘reformasi’ is not dead; it’s just that we are playing in different fields,” Mustapa noted.
Reformasi is a political movement in Malaysia. It was initiated in September 1998 by Anwar, who was then-deputy prime minister, after he was sacked from his position by then-prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The movement, which began while the country hosted the 1998 Commonwealth Games, initially demanded the resignation of Dr Mahathir, and for the end of the BN-led government. – Sept 15, 2023
