Don’t use religious platforms for political goals

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng's announcement on June 16 that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) ceased to exist has crushed the hopes of many Malaysians.

Despite knowing that a split is almost inevitable, many still prayed that the opposition coalition would stay.

Formed after the 12th general election in 2008, PR was seen a viable alternative to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) especially after it won 52% of the popular vote in the 13th general election.

Despite failing to take over Putrajaya, Pakatan still inspired hope for the 14th general election. But, now, Malaysia faces a new political reality.

The uncertainty we experience now is common yet painful. History tells us about different types of parties and systems in developing democracies like Malaysia, the ways they compete and the degree to which they have evolved over time. They do not conform to our expectations.

That said, political parties position themselves in response to strategic incentives. They also shift their positions in response to changes in public opinion.

The PR coalition's disagreement over policy issues such as hudud , for example, is an open secret. Given the pact's diverse background in terms of ideologies, PR was always seen as a fragile coalition.

But the rift finally worsened when conservatives captured the PAS leadership recently.

Sp what’s next for us, the voters?

Speculation is rife about the possibility of a new opposition pact or a coalition between Umno and PAS.

Whatever it may be, local politics will be messy and noisy. What we should avoid is the development of religious politics.

Race and religion have always been two prominent features in Malaysian politics, and this does not bode well for us.

From time to time, it does seem that race helps bolster certain parties’ power.

And there’s religion.

When opinion fails, and when the administration is challenged, we see politicians use the religious rhetoric for political goals.

Some quarters may argue PR is still alive, as former PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu puts it: “The political reality showed that PR formed by PAS, DAP and PKR after their impressive showing at the 12th general election in 2008 is no more.

“Pakatan has broken up, whether it is dead or merely ‘pengsan’, it is already broken.”

With the government struggling to deal with the issue of 1MDB, there is opportunities for the opposition to revive itself before the next general election.

But on one condition: they need to do away, or at least minimise, the rising political tension in Malaysia that is heavily based on race and religious issues. – June 22, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.