Friends Today, Foes Tomorrow

Press Statement by Datuk Huan Cheng Guan

The old adage, 'A friend in need is a friend indeed’ does not ring true in Malaysia, where friends today can be foes tomorrow, especially in politics.

In April 2013, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng announced they would instruct DAP candidates to use the PAS symbol (in West Malaysia) and the PKR symbol in Sabah and Sarawak should the CEC-ROS issue remain unresolved.

Currently, DAP and PAS seem to be heading for a face-off with an imminent implosion within the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

There is no sense for DAP to raise objections as from the onset, they were well aware of PAS’s ideology on hudud.

When it was convenient for DAP, they closed one eye to PAS and their hudud agenda.

In GE13, DAP was in overdrive and in hard sell mode for their “ubah” campaign and willingly danced to the tune of PAS in their deceptive masquerade to win over voters.

It is too little too late now for Lim Guan Eng to protest that Hadi betrayed the PR consensus.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who regards PR as a ‘loose coalition’, said the Islamist party would go ahead without allies PKR and DAP in tabling its private member’s bill in Parliament to pave the way for the implementation of hudud in its stronghold state of Kelantan.

The chasm that divides PAS with its coalition partners is as far as the East is from the West, and neither shall the twain meet.

Now that PAS is clearly singing the same tune they sang from the very beginning, it is absurd that DAP is threatening to form Pakatan Baru. DAP and PKR should have weighed the consequences of partnering PAS years ago.

DAP’s insincerity and so-called righteousness insults the intelligence of even the ordinary man in the street.

PAS has been consistent in their ideology.

Has DAP been consistent in their agenda and their political actions?

Let’s face it. The marriage of convenience is over but it was never a real “marriage” in the first place.

It is pointless ranting about betrayal, for DAP was never such a great partner in the first place.

For now, DAP had better explain to disappointed voters (who believed in their passe “ubah” philosophy), how they will “ubah” the scenario to one that can unite Malaysians rather than result in the reverse.

Huan Cheng Guan is Head of the Centre for Political Awareness (CPAM)

This post was also carried in FMT.