KUALA LUMPUR – To commemorate the fall of the Pakatan Harapan and rise of the Perikatan Nasional administrations, reporters at The Vibes conducted a series of interviews with political insiders in an attempt to unravel the machinations that eventually led to the collapse of the PH government.
Expressions such as “incensed”, “brilliant”, “disappointed”, “master stroke”, “shocking”, “livid”, “caught-out” and “traitors” were widely employed by our interviewees to describe the Sheraton Move, as well as all the events that ensued.
More than a year on, the public remains largely quizzical following testimonies from both ends of the political spectrum. Nothing, it would seem, was ever mentioned in the lead-up to the event, that this move would benefit the people. Everything, it would seem, had been directed towards rationalising personal agendas, exacting political vengeance and configuring convenient alliances.
The “victims” – those within the PH coalition, namely PKR, DAP and Amanah – were left to pick up the pieces while grappling with their own internal party contradictions. It would be disingenuous to describe them purely as victims, however. Many in these parties were aware of all that could happen, but chose to ignore the signs.
Bersatu, PAS and Umno may have claimed a victory of sorts, but it could prove a hollow one by the time polls are called, possibly in the near future.
Hearsay, rather than corroborated statements by those close to the party leadership, enveloped events during that period.
From the interviews conducted, we found that some politicians were uncharacteristically reluctant to detail what transpired throughout that week, while others were more than happy to take credit for their involvement in “engineering” this shift in government.
The manner in which the government changed hands – without the people’s mandate – has brought into question the very meaning of elections. To many, it would seem that regardless of who the people vote for, the government will eventually be determined by means of political calculation, and could well fall back into the hands of those whom the people wanted removed in the first place.
Politicians’ silence
It has made for an existential crisis among journalists, particularly young reporters, who covered the historic general election in 2018 tirelessly, only to see it have little meaning two years later.
Reflecting on that time a year ago, some among the press fraternity felt that we should simply quit our jobs.
The silence of some politicians and their refusal to address the media are possibly another alarming sign of things to come for the next elections; this is most evident in the present administration’s evasiveness when it comes to press conferences and taking on direct questions from local and international news outlets.
Looking back on the entire experience, it is clear that the instability of the PN administration did not begin only with the Sheraton Move, but was the result of prolonged internal contradictions within PH’s components, especially those relating to Bersatu and its role.
PN’s formation, which was proclaimed on the basis of providing stability and assurances for a Malay-Muslim leadership, has not been fully realised, mainly due to the dynamics of the three leading Malay-Muslim parties – especially Umno and Bersatu – that continue to vie for control of the administration.
Many on the ground, including those in the current government, were evidently in the dark over plans to pull off the Sheraton Move, even as the very move was taking place. Many of them learnt of the subsequent events on that day through media channels.
Whether this was done deliberately in an effort to ensure the “bloodless coup” was successfully executed is unknown. Those who were left in the lurch have since expressed their frustrations, as they believe a decision as significant as this should have been communicated to them.
A year on, even as the present administration continues to be called to account for its actions, and with new political alignments and realignments being devised at every turn, the question one year ago remains the question asked today: who, really, is considering the plight of the people? – The Vibes, April 4, 2021
Stay tuned for The Vibes’ special series of reports in conjunction with the first anniversary of the dramatic change in government in early 2020
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