Just a day after Pakatan Harapan retained the supermajority by winning the Pulai seat in Johor in a by-election last month, MUDA president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman suddenly announced his decision to pull out of the unity government bloc. The decision to quit leaves the ruling coalition with only 147 seats, 1 seat short of super-majority in the Dewan Rakyat (Lower House).
Armed with just one seat in the Parliament, the ungrateful punk said his party would form a “third force” to provide a check and balance. But wasn’t there any opposition parties to do that? Was he trying to say that the 74 MPs from Opposition Perikatan Nasional have been so useless and dumb that only Syed Saddiq possessed the intelligence to be present in the Parliament?
The real reason MUDA quit at such suspicious time had little to do with the stunning decision by Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) to withdraw the corruption charges against Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, as Saddiq would like everyone to believe. After all, this is not the first time that Zahid, who is also the Barisan Nasional chairman, had been granted a DNAA.
Zahid was first granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) back on Sept 23, 2022 during the Perikatan Nasional government when Attorney General Idrus Harun (an appointee of ex-PM Muhyiddin Yassin) thrown away 40 corruption charges. The same A.G. has again thrown out the remaining 47 charges faced by Zahid last month – approximately a year later.
UMNO president Zahid, who was facing a whopping 87 corruption charges, is now a free man largely thanks to the attorney general, who decides who to charge and who to free. Instead of attacking A.G. Idrus or former backdoor PM Muhyiddin, Saddiq chose to attack PM Anwar Ibrahim. Exactly why Muda attacked Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional, but not Perikatan Nasional?
In truth, Syed Saddiq cannot attack A.G. Idrus Harun because he was a political appointee of Muhyiddin, who in turn is his best friend. The Muda president, who is still wet between ears, had scrambled to meet with the Bersatu president right after the Nov 2022 General Election. Claiming that he still respects his former boss, Saddiq thought Muhyiddin could form another backdoor government.
More importantly, Saddiq is a “mole” planted by his mentor, the grand strategist Mahathir Mohamad. That’s why Anwar and his party – PKR (People’s Justice Party) – do not trust MUDA. That’s also the reason why MUDA’s application to join Pakatan Harapan was not entertained. From the beginning, the young political party’s mission was to split the votes or to demand seats it can’t win on its own.
The clearest proof was when the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance’s (MUDA) decided to contest in the six state elections in August, which saw all 19 of its candidates lost their deposits. When it was clear that MUDA will not be able to join Pakatan Harapan, and won’t get any ministry in the Unity Government, it was time to leave. The cold shoulder given by Pakatan was to flush out the mole.
Therefore, Zahid’s acquittal was merely a smokescreen for Saddiq to pull out. It was also deliberately timed to deny the Anwar administration of its two-thirds majority (148-seat) in the parliament. By joining the racist bigots and religious extremists in the opposition bloc under the pretext of forming a third force, Muda wanted to be the kingmaker in order to extract concessions.
Mr Saddiq, whose best friends included Indian Muslim hate preacher Zakir Naik, whom was harboured and protected by Mahathir during his second stint as premier, has shamelessly ignored the fact that he was only able to retain the Muar seat because Pakatan Harapan agreed to step aside and support him. If he has the balls, he should quit the parliamentary seat and re-contest.
In the same breath, Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) – both component parties of Barisan Nasional – cannot be trusted. There has been wild speculation of a Cabinet reshuffle after the Pelangai by-election on October 7, 2023. At the same time, there has been naughty rumours that MCA and MIC representatives would be appointed as ministers.
MCA has two MPs – party president Wee Ka Siong (Ayer Hitam) and Wee Jeck Seng (Tanjung Piai). MIC, meanwhile, has Tapah MP Saravanan, who is also the party’s deputy president. While the premier said he was “thinking” about a reshuffle, the fact that he has yet to name a successor to the late Salahuddin Ayub, the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister who died in July, means a reshuffle is imminent.
The burning question is whether MCA and MIC deserve to be rewarded. Anwar might be ill-advised that it would be a brilliant strategy to “keep your friends close and your enemies closer“. But if Wee and Saravanan deserve two full ministerial portfolios just so that the unity government can keep an eye on its enemies, should not Syed Saddiq also be similarly rewarded?
In fact, “Cry Baby Wee” and “Ganja Saravanan” are worse than Saddiq. All the three MCA and MIC lawmakers were part of a list of 10 Barisan Nasional “traitor” MPs who happily signed statutory declarations to support rival Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin as 10th Prime Minister after the 15th general election that produced a hung Parliament.
Even before the reshuffle is announced, MCA has already started attacking – and lecturing – the prime minister how to run the country. MCA spokesperson Mike Chong Yew Chuan told PM Anwar to not only sack Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu, but also to surrender the Finance Minister currently held by the premier himself.
It would certainly rock the political landscape by appointing MCA president Wee as a minister. The Democratic Action Party (DAP), the largest political party in the ruling government and the loudest cheerleader of Anwar, would have a hard time explaining why it has only 4 ministers despite having 40 MPs and commanding 95% of Chinese support, but MCA with merely 2 MPs is given 1 minister.
To make matters worse, DAP would be mocked as MCA 2.0, the new lapdog that dares not raise its displeasure over the ridiculous reward for MCA. DAP is the kingmaker – if it pulls out, the government would collapse and Anwar is game over. To be humiliated with just four ministers under the pretext of not spooking the Malays is one thing. To stay silent when MCA is invited to join the Cabinet is another level of humiliation altogether.
DAP will not be the only one laughed for its cowardice. Prime Minister Anwar would also be in trouble for opening a new floodgate. For example, Parti Warisan Sabah, which is part of the unity government and has 3 MPs, may demand for ministers too. If the three lawmakers from MCA and MIC are qualified to redeem two ministers, Warisan certainly can ask for two full ministerial portfolios as well.
One thing leads to another, and soon every component party will ask for more due to unfairness in the allocation of ministries. There is also the question of what portfolios should be allocated to MCA and MIC. PM Anwar will become a laughing stock if he creates more ministries to the extent of exceeding Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri’s super bloated Cabinet of 73 ministers and deputy ministers.
The biggest problem with entertaining the idea of rewarding the useless and treacherous MCA and MIC is that it creates a perception among investors that the Anwar-led government is not only weak and incompetent, but is also unstable. If indeed the unity government is strong and stable as the prime minister has been claiming, why should he enlarge his Cabinet?
Obviously, it would do more harm than good with a Cabinet reshuffle that includes MCA or MIC. It shows the government could collapse without the two minor political parties. It shows the prime minister is vulnerable. It shows Anwar lacks confidence, so much so he can be blackmailed by two small potatoes. It shows Anwar leadership is worse than Muhyiddin or even “turtle egg” Sabri.
There’s a reason why up to 99% Chinese voters had voted for DAP, and Pakatan Harapan for that matter. They abandoned MCA like a plague because of their upmost hatred and disgust of the running dog, especially Wee Ka Siong. How would the Chinese community feel when Anwar Ibrahim and DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke embrace and hug Wee like a long lost brother?
Crucially, Wee is a mole and a scumbag, waiting for the right moment to join the racist and extremist Perikatan Nasional. The Chinese and Indian understood why they had to work together with rival Malay nationalist UMNO. But they cannot find a single reason to accept MCA or MIC. Only a moron would offer ministership to a betrayer, who is ready to backstab and bite the hand that feeds him.
The only thing Mr Anwar can do is to appoint a new Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister. He can replace his useless Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution and Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek. He can swap some portfolios among component parties. But to appoint MCA and MIC representatives as ministers is both idiotic and political suicide.
Source : Finance Twitter
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