Why Zahid’s suggestion for bill to ensure a fixed term government should be taken with a pinch of salt

DEPUTY Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s recent proposal for a special bill to ensure that the unity government reigns for a full five-year term is a reminder of the famous Einstein quote “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them”.

In February 2020, Zahid was a part of the team that toppled the Pakatan 1.0 government. In July 2022 he was also a part of the team that signed the loophole-filled anti-hopping bill that was supposed to ensure that an elected government is not toppled by the shenanigans of a few unprincipled lawmakers.

Just a few months ago, the UMNO president was in the same parliament and part of a team that accepted five opposition MPs who switched support to the government despite remaining in support of the opposition in blatant disregard to the anti-hopping bill.

Today, here he is again proposing yet another method of making sure that we are not permanently cursed with an unstable government.

It is normal for everyone to face troubles in their lives but if someone is forever in the midst of all sorts of troubles, we might have to consider the fact that maybe they might be the source of the trouble.

Cure or poison?

We have to accept that some people like trouble. When things are peaceful, they just don’t feel good about themselves. It is in the midst of trouble and chaos that they will possess a sense of significance and importance.

When a person who has a reputation of coming to prominence only in times of trouble offers you a way towards peace, it is always best to think twice as to why.

When someone is forever helping you with your problems but the more they help you, the more your problem piles up, it might be the case that they are actually just helping themselves – not you.

When you ask a problem to find a solution, you will never find a solution because the problem will know that if it finds a solution, it will wither and disappear.

The only thing that is keeping Zahid relevant and important – you have to admit – is the instability that is besetting the government today. It is because he is needed to stabilise an unstable government that he has to be kept in an important position and cannot be ignored.

If the government actually becomes stable, Zahid will not only become obsolete and irrelevant, he might lose the ability to run fast enough to stay ahead of his past karma.

By the way, it is likely that Zahid has a lot of bad karma chasing him. If he loses speed, not only will he lose his job but he might lose his freedom too.

Considering all this, I think we should take Zahid’s proposal of a solution as how an old man should take a new medicine that is offered to him by his young beautiful wife right after he willed her all his wealth.

Of course, she will be saying that she just wants the old man to take his medicine on time because she wants him to live a long and healthy life when the truth is that it is suicidal to swallow the medicine she gives him.

Unless the unity government is absolutely sure that it is doomed and the only option it has to save itself is by taking Zahid’s medicine, I think it would be prudent for the unity government to thoroughly check what remedy Zahid offer for signs of adverse side effects or to run it by the forensic department just to be sure that there is no poison added. – Jan 17, 2024

 

Nehru Sathiamoorthy is a roving tutor who loves politics, philosophy and psychology.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.

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