The Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri should realise how fragile is the “Keluarga Malaysia” edifice of his premiership when two incidents could threaten to demolish it yesterday: firstly, the racist remark by a Bersatu leader against national women’s singles player S. Kisona, using a racially derogatory “K” term; and secondly, when a preacher Ustaz Syakir Nasoha was seen in a viral video making disparaging racial comments about non-Muslim religions and the Dayak community.
If the Rukun Negara principles of nation-building for a united multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural Malaysia had been fully promoted among Malaysians in the past half a century, such disparaging remarks would not have occurred.
If Malaysians had been fully imbued in the past half-a-century with the five Rukun Negara principles of nation-building, they would have appreciated the national strength that could be derived from the virtues and best values of the four great civilisations that meet in confluence in Malaysia – Muslim, Chinese, Indian and Western.
But now we have Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Members of Parliament who challenge and dispute the legitimacy and appropriateness of the five Rukun Negara principles in the building of an united, prosperous and successful plural Malaysia.
Ismail Sabri gave a good interview on local television stations yesterday calling on Malaysians to unite as a family, setting aside religious, racial and political differences.
Ismail said: “I want us to live like a family, where we forget all our differences, whether in terms of religion, race, or even political differences should be set aside, so that all the people work together to develop Malaysia.”
He said differences among members of the community should be appreciated and not be an obstacle to unity.
He added that the spirit of cooperation was also highlighted through the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Transformation and Political Stability signed by him as Prime Minister and Pakatan Harapan leaders on Sept 13, in the interest of the people and the country, especially in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.
He described it as the new politics of Malaysia, similar to the practice in developed countries, where the government and the opposition work together to develop the country.
He said: “So between the opposition and the government, (we) together build the country. Yes, we fight, but during election time every five years. Once the people have given the mandate to establish a government, we have to build this country together.
“Politicking should be stopped because the opposition can also provide views as check and balance, and at the same time, we will follow what is good, and thus, we can together develop the country.”
This was not the Ismail Sabri before he became Prime Minister.l
If this spirit had been followed in the recent past, the Pakatan Harapan Government would not have been toppled after 22 months by the undemocratic, illegitimate and backdoor Sheraton Move conspiracy, and today Anwar Ibrahim would be the eighth Malaysian Prime Minister to implement the various institutional and parliamentary reforms promised in the Pakatan Harapan Manifesto of the 14th General Election to make Malaysia a world-class great nation, far from the coils of a kleptocracy and a kakistocracy.
When the country is faced with an existential threat, as in the case of the Covid-19 pandemic, everyone in the country must put aside their difference ensure that Malaysia win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic and save millions of Malaysians from Covid-19 and tens of thousands from Covid-19 deaths.
Let there be a political moratorium for 10 – 18 months until the next general election – as the immediate task is to ensure the survival of Malaysia – to win the war against the Covid-19 pandemic and reset the political landscape with institutional and parliamentary reforms so that Malaysia can embark on economic, social and national recovery.
This was what happened in United Kingdom in the Second World War. When Hitlerite Germany threatened the existence of UK, when at this perilous hour of 1940, Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee forged a partnership that transcended party lines for five years.
Once their victory over Hitler’s Germany was achieved, the two partners were opponents again, fighting an acrimonious campaign in the July 1945 General Election from which Attlee emerged as the overwhelming victor.
Attlee became the Prime Minister in July 1945 and Churchill, who first created the post of Deputy Prime Minister for Attlee during the war coalition, became the Opposition Leader. After the 1951 British General Election, Churchill and Attlee exchanges places with the former became again Prime Minister while the latter was Opposition Leader.
Pakatan Harapan had not gone so far as to become part of Ismail Sabri government in the Covid-19 pandemic and would continue its role as the loyal but constructive opposition.
It is not a foregone conclusion that Ismail Sabri will be the sure winner in the next General Election because he has yet to prove that he has the best vision for the future of Malaysia.
Until he became Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri was dead set against the concept of a “Keluarga Malaysia’. Can he change and prove his commitment to his vision of a “Keluarga Malaysia”?
(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, October 4, 2021)
Ismail Sabri harus sedar betapa rapuhnya idea “Keluarga Malaysia” selepas dua insiden yang mengancam konsep tersebut semalam
Perdana Menteri, Ismail Sabri harus sedar betapa rapuhnya idea “Keluarga Malaysia” selepas dua insiden yang mengancam konsep berkenaan tercetus semalam: pertama, kenyataan rasis oleh mantan pemimpin Bersatu terhadap pemain perseorangan wanita kebangsaan, S. Kisonan dengan memanggil dengan perkataan jelik “K”, dan kedua, penceramah Ustaz Syakir Nasoha yang mengeluarkan kenyataan bersifat perkauman berkenaan agama orang bukan Islam dan masyarakat Dayak dalam satu video yang tular baru-baru ini.
Jika semua rakyat Malaysia dididik untuk menjiwai prinsip Rukun Negara berhubung pembinaan negara bagi membentuk sebuah Malaysia yang mempunyai pelbagai kaum, pelbagai bahasa, pelbagai agama dan pelbagai budaya, kenyataan jelik seumpama itu pasti tidak berlaku.
Jika rakyat Malaysia dididik untuk menjiwai lima prinsip Rukun Negara berhubung pembinaan negara sejak separuh abad yang lalu, mereka akan lebih menghargai kekuatan negara yang boleh diambil daripada nilai-nilai terbaik empat peradaban yang bertemu di Malaysia – Islam, Cina, India dan Barat.
Namun kini, kita mempunyai Menteri, Timbalan Menteri dan Ahli Parlimen yang mencabar dan menyangah kesahan dan kesesuaian lima prinsip Rukun Negara dalam pembinaan sebuah Malaysia yang bersatu padu, makmur dan berjaya.
Ismail Sabri memberikan kenyataan yang cukup baik dalam wawancara yang disiarkan di stesen televisyen tempatan semalam dengan menyeru agar rakyat Malaysia bersatu padu sebagai sebuah keluarga, dan mengetepikan perbezaan agama, kaum dan politik.
Ismail berkata: “Saya mahu kita hidup seperti satu keluarga yang kita lupakan segala perbezaan yang ada, sama ada dari segi agama, kaum malah perbezaan fahaman politik pun perlu diketepikan, supaya semua rakyat bersama-sama berganding bahu membangunkan Malaysia ini.”
Beliau berkata perbezaan yang ada dalam kalangan masyarakat perlu diraikan serta tidak menjadi halangan untuk bersatu padu.
Beliau menambah semangat kerjasama itu turut ditonjolkan menerusi Memorandum Persefahaman (MoU) Transformasi dan Kestabilan Politik yang ditandatangani kerajaan Persekutuan dan Pakatan Harapan (PH) pada 13 Sept lepas, demi kepentingan rakyat dan negara khususnya dalam menangani pandemik Covid-19.
Beliau menyifatkan ia sebagai politik baharu Malaysia seperti mana amalan di negara maju yang lain, dengan kerajaan dan pembangkang berganding bahu membangunkan negara.
katanya: “Jadi antara pembangkang dan kerajaan (kita) bersama-sama membina negara. Ya kita berlawan, tetapi waktu pilihan raya lima tahun sekali. Apabila rakyat sudah memberi mandat kerajaan ditubuhkan, kita kena bersama-sama membina negara ini.
“Politiking sepatutnya dihentikan, kerana pembangkang juga boleh memberikan pandangan untuk ‘check and balance’, dan dalam masa yang sama mana yang baik kita akan ikut dan dengan itu kita boleh bersama-sama membangunkan negara.”
Ini bukanlah Ismail Sabri yang kita kenal sebelum beliau menjadi Perdana Menteri!
Jika semangat ini diikuti sejak dulu lagi, Kerajaan Pakatan Harapan sudah tentu tidak akan digulingkan selepas 22 bulan oleh konspirasi Langkah Sheraton yang tidak demokratik, tidak sah, dan pintu belakang, malah hari ini Anwar Ibrahim sudah tentu sudah menjadi Perdana Menteri kelapan dan berusaha untuk melaksanakan pelbagai reformasi institusi dan Parlimen yang dijanjikan dalam Manifesto Pakatan Harapan pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-14 untuk menjadikan Malaysia sebuah negara hebat bertaraf dunia, dan terhindar daripada anasir kleptokrasi dan kakistokrasi.
Ketika negara berdepan dengan ancaman, dalam hal ini; pandemik Covid-19, setiap orang harus mengetepikan perbezaan untuk memastikan Malaysia menang perang melawan Covid-19 dan menyelamatkan jutaan rakyat Malaysia daripada dijangkiti Covid-19 dan puluhan ribu terkorban akibat wabak berkenaan.
Moratorium politik selama 10 hingga 18 bulan sehingga pilihan raya umum seterusnya amat diperlukan — kerana tugas yang perlu dipikul sekarang adalah untuk memastikan Malaysia terselamat — untuk menang dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19 dan untuk menetapkan semula landskap politik negara dengan reformasi institusi dan Parlimen supaya Malaysia dapat mengorak langkah untuk memulihkan ekonomi-sosial negara.
Ini yang berlaku di United Kingdom semasa Perang Dunia Kedua. Semasa Jerman yang dipimpin Hitler mengancam UK, Winston Churchill dan Clement Attlee bekerjasama selama lima tahun sejak 1940.
Selepas mereka menang ke atas Jerman yang dipimpin Hitler, kedua-dua pihak itu menjadi musuh semula, bertanding sesama sendiri dalam Pilihan Raya 1945 di mana Attlee menang besar.
Attlee menjadi Perdana Menteri pada Julai 1945 dan Churchill, yang mewujudkan jawatan Timbalan Perdana Menteri untuk Attlee sepanjang kerjasama itu, menjadi Pemimpin Pembangkang. Selepas Pilihan Raya Britian 1951, Churchill dan Attlee bertukar kedudukan dengan Churchill sekali lagi menjadi Perdana Menteri dan Attlee kembali menjadi Pemimpin Pembangkang.
Pakatan Harapan tidak pergi sejauh itu dengan menyertai kerajaan Ismail Sabri dalam era wabak Covid-19 dan akan meneruskan peranannya sebagai pembangkang yang konstruktif.
Belum tentu Ismail Sabri akan menang dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang kerana beliau masih belum membuktikan bahawa beliau mempunyai visi yang terbaik untuk masa depan Malaysia.
Sebelum menjadi Perdana Menteri, Ismail Sabri amat menentang konsep seperti “Keluarga Malaysia”. Bolehkan beliau membuktikan komitmennya untuk mengangkat idea besar “Keluarga Malaysia”?
(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Isnin, 4 Oktober 2021)
