GEORGE TOWN – The DAP leadership believes that party national publicity secretary Tony Pua was making a personal assumption when he said the nation should tolerate “the incompetent and treacherous Perikatan Nasional government” to avoid Umno taking over.
Central Executive Committee member Zairil Khir Johari told The Vibes that Pua was probably making his personal stance on the matter.
“DAP remains committed to Pakatan Harapan. Pua’s worry is his opinion,” said the Tg Bungah assemblyman.
Perak DAP vice-chairman Abdul Aziz Bari said the party firmly supports PH as the coalition has come a long way, and its formula of diversity, justice and reforms remains relevant through such challenging times.
He said he is surprised at the Damansara MP’s remark, which has gone viral, adding that he does not think “it is DAP’s official stance”.
On August 4, Pua had on Facebook posited the possibility of an Umno takeover of Putrajaya once Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has been dethroned, and suggested putting up with the current government to prevent this from happening.
“We now have the best chance to bring down the prime minister, who betrayed the rakyat’s mandate to PH by forming the current backdoor government with Umno and PAS in 2018.
The future of the country is hanging in a balance. What happens in the next few weeks could have massive ramifications...
Posted by Tony Pua on Wednesday, August 4, 2021
“But does it not look like if he resigns, Umno has positioned itself to succeed (him)? And when any Umno leader becomes the prime minister, wouldn’t all the kleptocrats be set free (or possibly regain power)?
“Do we… stop the kleptocrats from getting away scot-free, or worse, regain political control and power, even if it means tolerating the incompetent and treacherous PN government in the hot seat just a little while longer.”
Pua declined to comment when contacted.
However, former Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi made a similar observation in columns he wrote for Chinese vernacular newspapers some three weeks back.
He warned that if Muhyiddin and his government fell, it will pave the way for Umno to sit on the prime minister seat, seeing that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is Bersatu’s “ally of convenience”.
Umno is the biggest party within the PN regime with 38 MPs, but some of its members are in two minds over whether to toe the party line and pull their support for Muhyiddin, or stay with the embattled leader, he added.
He said Pua’s assertion is probably formed from his network and the grassroots, who are worried that after fighting Umno for decades, things may go back to square one.
“It is not Umno per se, but some of the leaders who are defined as kleptocrats.”
Ooi said DAP will face a different voter audience in the next general election, so Pua is being sensitive to the challenges that the party will face if Umno returns to power. – The Vibes, August 8, 2021
