Pakatan Rakyat : paving the way for two-party system?
It’s another milestone in the history of the nation – the formation of Pakatan Rakyat (Pakatan) which paves the way for the formation of a two-party political system for the country.
Malaysians in general, regardless of ethnicity, welcome this move by the leaders of the tripartite coalition of KeADILan, DAP and PAS. It augurs well for the future of the nation as it would provide a check and balance for the party in power.
We salute the leaders of the various parties, Mr.Lim Kit Siang, Datuk Hj.Abdul Hadi Awang, Datin Seri Dr.Wan Azizah and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for coming together to forge the formation of the coalition. They have taken the small but bold first step that will ultimately lead the nation to greater heights to become a truly united Malaysia, equal to other first world countries.
It shows that these leaders with their wisdom and experience have finally put aside their ideological differences to fulfill wishes of the rakyat, who have overwhelmingly voted for change and unity.
Nobody should be allowed to sabotage this agreement for mutual cooperation by their narrowed-mindedness and skewed political motives which used to be the practices of the past. The demand for unity among the various races should be cherished by all.
In the recent elections the people had risen above race and religion to vote for Pakatan. Unfortunately in the formation of the new Pakatan governments in Perak and Selangor there were some unhealthy squabble for posts in the Exco which was finally resolved amicably. Demands for deputy Menteri Besar posts for particular races were made. Then there was also the issue of the racial composition of the Exco itself. Such demands are expected because of the system of communal politics that we were all subjected to all these years.
One of the ideals of multiracial politics as advocated by the Pakatan is to do away with the belief that only leaders of a particular race can represent his community effectively. Why should this be so?
On the contrary any Malaysian regardless of his race should be equally capable of representing the interests of any other community if he really wants to and that is what we as Malaysians must strive to achieve. That is the greatest challenge facing us today – are we prepared to accept each other from different ethnicity as fellow Malaysians?
After being used to politics along communal lines, it may not be easy for us to change our mindset overnight to adopt the new political realities. It will not only take time and effort but above all goodwill and compromise by all communities.
Things may appear to be unfavorable to a particular community in the beginning but with perseverance and leaders committed to perpetrate unity, the ultimate result will be a win-win situation for all.
In keeping with the demands of the people, the BN too should reconsider its style of communal politics and opt for a broader multiracial approach. People and governments all over the world are saying ‘NO’ to racism, what are we waiting for?
Dr.Chris Anthony
