THERE is much talk including some clandestine moves to destabilise the present unity government of Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
There are even predictions from prophets of doom that the Anwar government might not last the full term.
The former frustrated PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad went to the extent of coming out with the Malay Proclamation or Proklamasi Melayu.
PAS leaders including its supremo Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang gleefully signed the declaration.
As I have argued earlier, the Proklamasi Melayu was not about improving the socio-economic position of the Malays but was intended to destabilise and knock down Anwar’s unity government.
The question is whether the unity government will last the full term or not. There are reasons why I say that a unity government will not only last the full term but go beyond.
Firm support
Firstly, the political support for the unity government could not be better at least for the moment. There are no signs of rebellion within the ranks of the unity government.
The support from the political coalitions in Sabah and Sarawak is pretty much intact so the present administration has a two-thirds majority in the parliament. Rumours of rifts within the unity government have no basis whatsoever.
Second, there are rumours that UMNO might be thinking of deserting the unity government, the argument being that the unity government needs UMNO more than the latter needs the former.
Let us face it: both UMNO and the unity government need each other. There is no way UMNO will allow the unity government to embrace the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition or some other political coalition.
The UMNO leadership knows very well that it is better to embrace the government of Anwar than the PN coalition.
Third, Anwar has been the PM for the last five months or so. The Malaysian public sees him doing the right things a lot better than when his predecessors, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin or Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob were in power.
In short, Anwar given his wealth of experience, seems to be the leader that Malaysians want.
Fourthly, the move against corruption by empowering the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) seems to be a popular decision.
The possibility of further arrests by the MACC might have frightened those who have engaged in colossal corruption.
This is the reason why there is a covert attempt to undermine the government of Anwar under the guise of Proklamasi Melayu. In this respect, the proclamation is a devious attempt to undermine the government of Anwar.
Fifthly, Malaysians in general are tired and fed-up with changing governments so often. Economic development and prosperity cannot be built under conditions of instability. These are lessons from the past that Malaysians want to avoid if they can.
Sixthly, the Yang Di-pertuan Agong has given indications that he is not prepared to listen to or entertain the idea of changing the present unity government.
The government is pretty intact politically. In the absence of a confidence motion by way of Parliament, there is nothing to indicate that the government is in danger.
However, even if there is no prospect of bringing down the unity government of Anwar, the opposition forces are not going to back down.
They will exploit the changing circumstances to bring down the government. Let us not expect the opposition to be responsible and law-abiding.
While there is nothing to be overly concerned about with the opposition forces, it is important that the present government be seen to be doing the right thing for the country and its people.
I think despite the Herculean difficulties, Anwar seems to be doing the right thing. – May 6, 2023
Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is the DAP state assemblyman for Perai. He is also Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
