IS ANWAR & PKR BECOMING TOO EXTREME? – MUST TEACHERS SUPPORT ‘MADANI’ GOVT? – DELEGATES WANT SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING SQUAD & COMMITTEE TO MONITOR ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT TEACHERS
Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!
KUALA LUMPUR (Politics Now!) – Perhaps the fruits of power are too alluring, but Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s party, which rose to popularity on a reformist platform, now appears to marching down the same oppressive and bullying paths they used to accuse past regimes especially Umno-BN of.
At the PKR annual congress held over the weekend, delegates wanted a youth social media monitoring squad to be formed to fend off “defamatory remarks” by the government’s rivals.
“In TikTok, there is no regulation. We are defamed every day. It is hard for us to respond or to even give explanations. Our media is not functioning,” said Kelantan PKR delegate Che Mat Che Hussain.
“So I suggest that the party’s information team should set up a squad made up of youths to monitor [the situation].”
TEACHERS “MUST” SUPPORT ANWAR’S GOVT?
Even more startling was the demand to set up a committee to monitor anti-establishment teachers.
“They need to support the government as they are in the public service,” said Johor PKR delegate Haryati Abu Nasir.
She said there was now a worrying trend of public servants openly going against the government that needed to be addressed urgently.
The Education Minister is currently Fadhlina Sidek, also from PKR, who is easily among the most unpopular in Anwar’s poorly-rated Cabinet. Calls have been numerous and hot for Fadhlina to be replaced after introducing several conflicted, confusing and some say even half-baked policies that many see as aimed to help Anwar, and perhaps herself, win popularity with Malay voters.
RESPECT IS EARNED, NOT BOUGHT OR FORCED
The Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil is also from PKR, who along with some of Anwar’s political secretaries and ‘Little Napoleon’ inner circle, have been sharply criticized for cracking down on media that are outspoken, question, rebuke or do not lavish praises on Anwar’s ineffective leadership.
Needless to say, the duo have added to the growing public disenchantment and disgust towards Anwar, whose approval rating plunged to just 50% from 68% a year ago when he took power.
“Respect is earned, not bought or forced,” a political analyst told Politics Now! “When they were in the opposition, they seemed to know it and used to lambast Umno-BN and Muhyiddin regime for it. Now the people will say they are being the typical political hypocrites that voters really despise.”
“The day of reckoning will come for them if they don’t change their ways. They must be very silly if they think Malaysians can be so easily intimidated. How could they even be in government if Malaysians were so scared of their leaders. The recent survey (showing Anwar’s massive loss of support) says it all. I would advise them to apologize and go back to basics instead of trying to play swell-headed, tin-pot dictators.”
GOOD MALAY LEADERS DON’T USE FEAR, THEY ARE NOT STUPID
Perhaps Anwar and his party should relook at the advice inadvertently given by Selangor chief minister Amirudin Shari, who is also a PKR vie-president, on Sunday – ‘Malay history shows good leaders are not stupid and they don’t use fear’.
“This is the example of a good Malay leader as stated in our historical literature. Not just by simply chanting about ‘Melayu’ (the Malays) but is actually stupid and resorts to using intimidation to stoke up fear among the Malays,” said Amirudin.
Amirudin may not be referring to Fahmi, Fadhlina or Anwar but they can surely learn from the example he used.
Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!
Politics Now!