The people's trust is beyond politics

Pakatan Rakyat should continue to win the hearts of the people

I refer to “Pakatan Rakyat will not push for no-confidence vote, says Anwar”(Star,April 11).

It was a relief to be reassured by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that Pkatan Rakyat will not push for a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in the coming sitting of Parliament. Instead it would give greater priority to building up an effective and credible Pakatan Rakyat and ensure that its five state governments work hard to deliver on their promises to the rakyat.

Anwar: “Building up an effective and credible Pakatan Rakyat

is far more important for now’

He was absolutely right in saying that the people had placed so much hope and trust on them to bring change, a change for the betterment of all. This trust goes beyond politics and it would be a grave mistake for them to betray them now that they are in power. The people have sent a stronger opposition to parliament with a hope it would strive to form a more credible and effective check and balance to the ruling party.

The people are eagerly looking forward to DSAI going into parliament but we agree with him that he should not rush to get back into the fray. He has very important and more urgent issues to address as the undisputed and influential leader of PR. The coalition is in a very infant stage and it needs his full attention to secure the bonds of unity among its members so as to bind them into a force that will not be separable by any external forces.

The real test will come when their initial euphoria of election victory is finally over and are confronted with the hard issues that emerge in a multi-racial and multi-religious country. This is particularly so in a country that has been so accustomed to politics along communal lines all these years. That is the time we need a leader who is non-partisan whose advice will be respected and acceptable to all, and at this stage of the PR there no doubt it is Anwar.

The task may be arduous but at least we have taken the first step now and our hopes for a better Malaysia have been rekindled. With Anwar at the helm, a committed and united Pakatan Rakyat and above all, with the support of the people, I do not see why we should fail to achieve what others have succeeded.

Anwar may be the ‘glue’ holding the Opposition together now but as he says it should transcend him in the final run. The lasting ‘glue’ that binds the parties together must be the people, who should compel them to work together. His supporters must act rationally so as not make Anwar an indispensable political icon. Others with talents and caliber must be groomed given the opportunity to take over at the appropriate time. In fact the PR must work to limit the duration of its leader to not more than two terms. This will go a long way to deny the emergence of authoritarianism in the party.

Accepting defected legislators from other parties to form the government could have been a standard practice but to my mind it is morally wrong and should be discouraged. If the PR governments in the five states under its control carry out their promises to the people, and if their MPs function effectively in parliament, there is no reason why they should not be able to form the government the next time around. In fact dy doing so the moment for that may come sooner than expected.

Dr.Chris Anthony