IDEOLOGICALLY bankrupt.
That is the accusation being hurled at the opposition coalition.
Why?
When Malaysia is in the global spotlight following President Xi Jinping’s first official visit in 12 years, all the opposition can harp about are China flags lining the streets of Putrajaya.
Instead of focussing on the many pertinent economic issues, the opposition decided to dole out the tired narrative of Malay sovereignty being sold out to Chinese communists.
This was the point being made by pro-Madani digital creator Ikhwan (@JatIkhwan) who observed that all eyes were on China’s next move amid a fractious tariff war with the US yet all the opposition could do was to bark about a non-issue.
Satu dunia ikuti lawatan Xi Jinping ke Malaysia. Sekarang semua orang tengah perhati apa next move China. Sampai ke pembangkang – “kenapa kena kibarkan bendera China?!!!!”
— Ikhwan (@JatIkhwan) April 15, 2025
It was highlighted that Malaysia as the current chair of ASEAN had to plot its next move carefully to ensure maximum economic benefits to the rakyat.
To which the poster agreed, arguing that the opposition had plenty of issues to talk about yet chose to grumble about the traffic jams caused by the landmark visit of a leader of a bona fide super power.
The lack of understanding on geo-political and economic affairs among the opposition and its supporters was stunning, summed up another netizen.
One netizen shared comments by opposition supporters who seemed overly enamoured by the presence of China flags. The provocative nature of the comments was obvious, he observed.
More than a few simply pointed out that this was the norm for diplomatic visits. One Putrajaya resident of 25 years highlighted the number of foreign flags that are flying in the area. every time a head of nation visits Malaysia.
Some commenters though argued that it was Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who had used this issue of Chinese control of the economy as a stick to beat the Najib administration when Pakatan Harapan (PH) was in the opposition.
But as pointed out by the poster, these were pertinent issues as opposed to the normal diplomatic practice of flying foreign flags to welcome visiting dignitaries. Do your job by being an effective opposition, he demanded.
Many spelled out the type of fear-mongering that has become synonymous with the current opposition. One further argued that this was only way it could squeeze political mileage from its captive audience, many of whom are said to be of low intellectual capacity.
The message being peddled by the opposition was simple and clear – PMX was selling out Malay birth rights.
This seems to be the level of the opposition that is unable to break free from the shackles of 3R (race, religion and royalty) issues even in in the international context.
The arising question is what would Perikatan Nasional (PN) have done differently if it was in power and had to greet President Xi?
The sarcastic answers below paint the picture of the sorry state of the opposition in the country. – April 17, 2025
