How to make two years last forever
THE REFORM AGENDA | I once observed that it was a managerial tactic to offer “two years” as a convenient timeframe to put off a decision that it didn’t really want to make.
“How long will I be in Ipoh?” asked a friend who was being transferred out of Petaling Jaya. “Two years” she was told. A year-and-a-half later she inquired again, and “two years” was the ubiquitous reply. She resigned soon after the original two-year deadline came and went.
This time around, while the principle is the same, the “two years” affects all of us. It’s a by-product of an unwieldy election agreement by people who have since repeatedly told us that they never expected to win. And that’s probably why they never agreed on a timeframe when the four Pakatan Harapan parties inked the deal on Jan 6, 2018. The order of succession yes, the timing no.
Let’s not forget that it was the coalition, and not an individual or a party, that defeated the Najib Abdul Razak regime. It would not have happened without any one of Bersatu or PKR or DAP or Amanah - or Warisan, for that matter. And it certainly wouldn’t have happened without the will of the people.
The “two years” figure cropped up quickly after May 9 but I certainly don’t recall it being in the mix when PKR and DAP loyalists were being persuaded to rally behind Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
It was just a convenience, and only really became part of the equation when the “new” prime minister asked for two years to fix the problems he had inherited...
