Our political leaders will know our priorities only if we tell them, again and again, and if those priorities began to show up in the polls.
– Peggy Noonan, WSJ columnist
In my previous column, I had emphasised that offering posts as sweeteners for political support is never the answer.
This was after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob appeared to have been pushed into a corner by Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin over the party’s demands for more positions in the government.
Well, I think I can surmise that for Muhyiddin, offering posts in return for support is the answer. That seems to be his leadership style. Apparently, he has learned nothing from his downfall last August.
I’m not sure whether this former PM has ever reflected seriously on how his 17-month administration fell like a ton of bricks. Didn’t Muhyiddin offer almost every MP a post (and awards/titles) when he became the backdoor prime minister in 2020? Yet, he could not survive.
This past week, Muhyiddin has been very persistent about staking a claim for the deputy prime minister’s post, stressing that this was part of an agreement Bersatu has inked with the prime minister.
Bersatu leaders have been going gaga over the DPM’s post. They have also dragged others into their foolish enthusiasm over a political position.
When certain quarters in Perikatan Nasional, the coalition chaired by Muhyiddin, began casting doubts on the existence of such an agreement, the ex-PM started to get defensive and name names purportedly involved in the so-called agreement.
First, Muhyiddin’s former private secretary (when he was the PM) emerged to reveal that he was party to the discussion before the agreement was written and signed.
Then, Muhyiddin went further. He also advised his PAS counterpart, Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang, to refer to his secretary-general, Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan, on the existence of a written agreement on the DPM’s position.
According to Muhyiddin, the person who drafted the agreement was Takiyuddin. Hadi had earlier claimed that there was no such agreement.
Muhyiddin said apart from Takiyuddin, other witnesses include Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin and Ketereh Umno division chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa.
“The document was signed by the prime minister (Ismail Sabri Yaakob) and witnessed by Annuar and Hamzah. There are other witnesses too,” said Muhyiddin, as quoted by Berita Harian.
So far, I have not seen Hadi’s reaction on this latest claim by Muhyiddin.
What does all these talks over the DPM agreement tells us? Folks, most of our political leaders are only after position and power. This is very glaring, particularly during these strange times when we have an illegitimate government which does not seem to know how to govern nor which direction to take.
It is for this reason that I am joining the chorus for GE15 to be called as soon as possible. Malaysia cannot afford to sink deeper and deeper into the cesspit.
As for the post of deputy prime minister, let me share what I wrote five years ago in Malaysiakini on the same subject.
In my op-ed titled “Are Sabahans, Sarawakians, only good as No 2?”, dated 30 Sept, 2017, I responded to Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairperson Christina Liew who had proudly declared that a second deputy prime minister’s post will be created for Sabah and Sarawak if PH wins the forthcoming 14th general election.
Liew was quoted as saying in the local media that this was agreed to by the national PH leadership and that this historic development was an unprecedented recognition for the two Borneo states.
I wrote that “I’m sorry but I do not share Liew’s enthusiasm and euphoria over this PH offer.”
“What’s the big deal about being a deputy? When you are a deputy prime minister, you are still a deputy. That is being No 2. And what’s so great about being No 2?
“What’s more awkward and embarrassing is that Liew was talking about a second deputy prime minister’s post. This means that a Sabahan or a Sarawakian is a mere deputy to the first deputy prime minister, which translates into being a No 2 to the No 2. Are we on the same wavelength so far?
“I think even the village idiot knows that a deputy prime minister has no real power. You are just senior in rank to your other cabinet colleagues and get a higher salary. The real power is in the hands of No 1 – the prime minister.
“Are the people of Sabah and Sarawak so naïve? Have we not learnt anything from history? Even our own Malaysian history, since Independence, has a lesson or two for us.”
Somehow, I believe that non-politicians are able to offer a more objective perspective on an issue like this while politicians, clouded with vested interests, are unable to.
Well, was there a second DPM’s post for Sabah/Sarawak during PH’s 22 months in power? None. Happily for Liew, no one asked her to swallow her ‘lie’.
Hey, don’t we know all along that promises made by politicians are likely to be broken?
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
