Gloomy prospect for Ambiga's olive branch

 

NegaraKu patron Ambiga Sreenevasan's renewed urging for the ruling coalition, opposition and NGOs to make peace may have received a positive response but it appears unlikely to be translated into action.

Political observers cited the absence of political will in both the ruling coalition and opposition as well as the lack of incentive to cooperate with each other.

Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) chief executive officer Wan Saiful Wan Jan pointed out that even within the respective coalitions, political will was lacking to get things done.

"In Pakatan Rakyat, there is disunity as they fight among each other, while in BN, there is also no political will to even reprimand a minister for attacking Chinese businesses," he told Malayskini when contacted.

Echoing this, Wong Chin Huat, a fellow at the Penang Institute, said the ruling coalition and opposition are occupied about their own survival.

"For cooperation to happen there has to be assurance of mutual co-existence, this is not the case.

"If they were to work together, the side that becomes the loser (in the election) is worried they will be wiped out.

"So for them, survival is the most important thing and I will not blame the politicians because this is how the system in this country is like," he said.

Another hurdle to such cooperation, Wan Saiful said, is that political leaders sometimes deviate from hard issues when it comes to the topic of cooperation.

For example, he said cooperation is sometimes painted as a unity government  which can take on a racial tone like an Umno-PAS coalition at the expense of other allies.

PAS' central committee member Mujahid Yusof Rawa, who backed Ambiga's proposal, had expressed similar frustration.

"Every time when we talk about cooperation (with the other side), we are asked if we want to join them, that is very low-class (politics).

"It is not about cooperating politically but to discuss about the nation," he said.

Simmering partisanship

Wong said politicians are not the only one to be blamed for their lack of interest in cooperating as voters in general are also partisan and do not advocate such cooperation.

He added that the way the ruling coalition and opposition behave is in some part a reflection of the people's stance.

"Political actors can learn to cooperate if voters punish them for not cooperating, but that is not happening," he said.

While acknowledging that the country was on a "wrong trajectory" and supporting Ambiga's urging, Wan Saiful, too, acknowledged it is a difficult task.

Wan Saiful said NGOs can try to play the intermediary between the two political coalitions.

"If civil society focuses more on issues rather than partisan politics, I think civil society will have the potential to bring people together," he said.

Echoing this, Wong said while civil society is often non-partisan, their supporters may be partisan, which may make it difficult to reach out to the other side.

"It is a question of whether we can rise above partisan interests for the national interest," he said.