Hassan Karim Suggested the Opposition Camp:
Focus on the Next GE Following the Failure to Defeat Budget 2021; Decide on the Leader of the Opposition Camp Soonest Possible
This is an interview with Hassan Karim, Member of Parliament (MP) PKR of Pasir Gudang published by Malaysiakini on 16 December 2020. Original title is “Hassan backs Anwar but says opposition must decide on leader to face GE15 soon”. To Hassan, PKR chairman Anwar Ibrahim is still the best candidate for the prime minister.
However, the timing of Hassan Karim's remark gives others the impression that he deliberately wants to distance himself from the actions of Akmal Nasir, a young PKR leader (MP of Johor Bahru) who strongly criticised Anwar in a conversation through the Whatsapp application, that is now widely spread in social media, and Rafizi Ramli’s warning to Anwar to be aware of the “opportunists” surrounding him. This is because Hassan had just issued a joint statement with Nurul Izzah and Akmal Nasir to criticise Anwar before this.
A group of Sahabat Rakyat committee members visited Hassan on 12 December 2020 and had a cordial and friendly meeting with him for more than two hours. In that session, Hassan Karim expressed frankly that to him, Anwar is still the best candidate for the supreme leader of PKR and the prime minister of Pakatan Harapan.
We would like to express the following key responses in response to his statement above and views exchanged during our visit:
1. It is morally understandable that Hassan Karim, a former leader of Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM), who is now in PKR, steps forward to defend Anwar’s leadership and the image of PKR after hearing and seeing for himself the decline in the prestige of the supreme leader of PKR, Anwar inside and outside the party. This is also a normal conduct of a serious political figure.
2. We respect Hassan's position and view that "Anwar is still the best candidate for the supreme leader of PKR and the best candidate for the Prime Minister of Pakatan Harapan". We would like to express that we are still pinning high hopes for PKR and the other two component parties of Pakatan Harapan! However, we would like to remind Hassan Karim, leaders of PKR and leaders of other component parties of Pakatan Harapan that: Anwar, at the critical juncture right now, turns his back on his political idea “We are all one big family (regardless of ethnic groups such as Malays, Chinese, Indians, Iban Dayaks, Kadazan Dusun etc)” that he advocated since Reformasi movement. He is now instead accommodating the needs of the UMNO hegemonic clique that represents the interest of the Malay monopoly bourgeoisie and feudal aristocracy. Anwar claimed that the government he will be forming is a Malay-majority government. He also spares no effort in winning over the UMNO MPs to form a joint government. If Anwar sticks to his Malay racial hegemonic words and deeds, it will invite strong resentment and backlash from the people of all ethnicity, in which the consequences will be detrimental and even disastrous to PKR and other component parties of Pakatan Harapan!
3. The people of all ethnic groups commended Anwar and PKR's determination to draw a clear line with Mahathir, his cohorts, and the Parti Pejuang Tanah Air they founded which has applied for registration now! The broad masses of all ethnic groups have realised that Mahathir is an arrogant careerist who is good at deceiving and sabotaging national unity in order to achieve the Malay hegemonic rule dominated by him and his family. The broad masses have also realised that Mahathir had cunningly wormed himself into the confidence of Pakatan Harapan leaders and the support of the voters across the country, and further plundered the fruits of the struggle against the hegemonic rule hitherto. This has seriously harmed the democratic reform movement in our country! Mahathir is obviously the common enemy of the people of all ethnic groups in our country. He is obviously not an ally of the people of all ethnic groups in the struggle against hegemonic rule, let alone the "saviour of Malaysia" ! His newly formed political party says that it will “defend the rights and interests of the Malays", which is a lie! The leaders of PKR and the other two component parties of Pakatan Harapan should not “be-friend an enemy". Otherwise the democratic reform movement that people of all ethnic groups have high hopes for, will again suffers (more) serious damage!
4. In short, Anwar should abandon his "illusion" to form a coalition government between Pakatan Harapan and UMNO by winning over UMNO MPs to get enough numbers to overthrow the Perikatan Nasional government led by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) under Muhyiddin Yassin. We describe this as an "illusion" because UMNO (no matter who leads it) will always deem DAP as a bitter enemy. UMNO will never treat DAP as a partner (unless DAP leaders give up the idea of "Malaysian Malaysia" and accept appeasement and enlistment of the Malay hegemonic ruling clique). If Anwar and the PKR-led Pakatan Harapan camp reconcile with Mahathir and his cohorts and work hand in hand with them in the next general election, there will be hell to pay!
Editor's Note above is translated from original version in the Chinese language published on 21 December 2020. In the case of any discrepancy between the English rendition and the original Chinese version, the Chinese version shall prevail.
The followings are two news reports on the corresponding topic published by Malaysiakini (subtitle in the article is added by the editorial of Sahabat Rakyat)——
The opposition must decide on who should lead them and be their next prime minister candidate soon, said Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim.
This is because they must make preparations for the next general election now that they have failed to defeat Budget 2021, he said.
"There needs to be a discussion among top leaders, party presidents. There needs to be consensus to determine who should be chosen (to lead).
"They can't wait long, it must be solved soon," he told Malaysiakini.
Budget 2021 was passed yesterday, with the final bloc vote ending with 111 MPs in favour, and 108 MPs against.
The budget had been seen as a test on whether PKR president Anwar Ibrahim could prove that he had the numbers to take over as prime minister.
Warisan president Shafie Apdal last week also made overtures, urging the opposition to choose new leadership, while positioning himself to be that new option.
“Anwar Is Still the Best Choice to Be Prime Minister”,
Pakatan Harapan Must Build a Clear Narrative
For Hassan, Anwar is the best choice to be prime minister.
"Anwar should be chosen as the PM candidate for the grand coalition of Harapan and other opposition parties," he said.
The PKR lawmaker said Harapan must also build a clear narrative why in the next election, the people should vote for Harapan+ with Anwar as the prime minister candidate.
At the same time, the former ruling coalition must craft a new common platform, while also improving ties with other opposition parties.
DAP Veteran Leader Lim Kit Siang Clarified:
No Intention to Change Opposition Leader
This is the news report published by Malaysiakini on 20 December 2020. The original title is “Kit Siang: DAP leadership never proposed replacing Anwar”. Subtitles are added by the editorial of Sahabat Rakyat ——
DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang met PKR president Anwar Ibrahim on Friday and assured him that the DAP leadership had never proposed a change of opposition leader.
However, in a statement today, Kit Siang said that he did tell Anwar that the opposition must set forth in a new direction focusing on the need to strengthen and consolidate all opposition forces through a new national consensus.
Leaders of DAP and Amanah Urged for a “Political Reset” to Unite Opposition Forces
This came after DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu issued a joint statement saying Pakatan Harapan is in need of a political reset following the failure to vote down Budget 2021.
The duo said it showed that there has been no shift of allegiance from the Perikatan Nasional (PN) side and that Harapan should stop wasting time with them.
Since then groups from Amanah have touted a grand coalition reuniting Malaysia's opposition forces, while Selangor PKR Youth said it is open to discussing the possibility but insisted that the arrangement cannot include former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Lim Kit Siang Was Taken Aback by the Statement of Saifuddin, Harapan Secretary-general
Yesterday, however, PKR's Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who is also Harapan secretary-general expressed confidence that Anwar could still produce the numbers needed to form a new government via statutory declarations (SDs) or in the Dewan Rakyat.
"I am taken aback by the latest statement of the Harapan secretary-general as he must speak on behalf of all three parties in the opposition coalition and not for only one," Kit Siang said.
The Iskandar Puteri MP is also of the view that there is daily new evidence of Malaysia spiralling down the trajectory of kleptocracy, kakistocracy and a failed state by 2040.
"This is why there is an urgent need for a new national consensus for the Merdeka Constitution 1957, the Malaysian Constitution 1963, the Rukun Negara 1970 and the Vision 2020 promulgated in 1991 have all failed – to the extent that there are now cabinet ministers who reject these basic documents of Malaysian nation-building," he added.
The DAP stalwart too called for a reset of nation-building policies after these failures.
Kit Siang referred to the setting up of the G-25 - a group of 25 prominent Malays comprising former top civil servants, judges, ambassadors and scholars - six years ago in December 2014.
"They issued a joint statement calling on then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak to show leadership as it was time for moderate Malays to speak up as extremist, intolerant and immoderate voices did not speak for Malays," he said.
The group said it was "deeply concerned" and found it necessary to take a public position given the consequences of vitriolic rhetoric on race relations and political stability in the country.
It also called on like-minded moderate Malays and Muslims to speak up for a rational and informed discussion on Islam in the country.
"Unfortunately, this call did not result in a new national consensus on nation-building policies, and the nation had to wait for the 14th general election to attempt a reset of such policies.
"But the Harapan government was too short-lived as it was toppled after 22 months by the Sheraton Move conspiracy which ushered in a backdoor and illegitimate jumbo-sized Muhyiddin cabinet," Kit Siang claimed.
As a result, he said that the lines have been drawn in the political battlefield – Malaysian politics vs Malay politics.
"Malaysia can only become a great nation if we can leverage on its unique position as the confluence of four great civilisations in the world to build a united, harmonious, democratic, just, prosperous and progressive world-class nation.
"There must be a new beginning for the Malaysian nation-building process with a new national consensus. Time and tide wait for no man and the time for action for a new national consensus is now," he added.
Links:
Chinese version: https://sahabatrakyatmy.blogspot.com/2020/12/blog-post_21.html
Malay rendition: https://sahabatrakyatmy.blogspot.com/2020/12/hassan-karim-cadang-sepakat-menentukan.html
