COMMENT | Do we need to support this new government?

"We choose sides and then fail to see the wrong committed by our side. When someone does question an irregularity, we pick on that person, instead of seeing what he or she is trying to uncover."

– Mariam Mokhtar

COMMENT | M Santhananaban's piece about why we should support this new government does not make his case for support. Besides, what does support mean anyway? Non-Malay support? Malay support?

This is, after all, a “Malay uber alles” government. When you start from that position, it is extremely difficult for the government to make the case for inclusiveness.

Ironically, when it comes to the discontent of certain quarters for the current government, Santhananaban articulated the same point when it came to those who thought that the Pakatan Harapan regime was suspect.

He said: “There now seem to be some misgivings about the composition of the government, its conduct of state affairs and the content of some statements coming out of Putrajaya and Parliament.”

Santhananaban seems to think that the election was won on a big lie, that of PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim assuming the mantle of leadership. Actually, the big lie was the manifesto.

Harapan showed no political will after the election of fulfilling it. The big lie was the fact that former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad – who Santhananaban oddly seems unable to name – proclaimed that the manifesto was a burden and that it was a fiction created because Harapan did not think they could win.

If Harapan had fulfilled its campaign promises, nobody would care if Anwar was the next prime minister. If the old maverick had diligently pursued the ideas in the manifesto, he would have gained enough political capital to name a successor of his choosing and the Harapan faithful would have dropped Anwar like...