Forms of Government 20

Dapatocracy: A form of government wherein politicians are out for what they can get (dapat) for themselves. It is notable that the parties in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, including the Democratic Action Party (DAP), have unconditionally backed their Prime Ministerial candidate, Anwar Ibrahim, in forming his Unity Government post GE15. When the cabinet line-up was announced, DAP only got 4 out of 28 positions. This is a sacrifice from the perspective of a party which won the largest quotient of Anwar’s 148 seat majority. They won a whopping 40 seats and, as such, can be said to be making a noble sacrifice. Indeed, it can be said that the DAP is not part of the Malaysian DAPatocracy. But what will become of this traditionally Chinese dominated multiethnic party, given the likely reactions of its base to the equally likely machinations of PH’s new fellows (UMNO, GPS, GRS) remains to be seen.

See –
https://koboiproject.com/2020/06/28/harapan-2/
https://koboiproject.com/2020/06/29/harapan-4/

https://www.msn.com/en-my/news/national/loke-dap-support-for-anwar-as-pm-unconditional-never-asked-for-cabinet-positions/ar-AA14RyIS

Ke Mana Malaysia Kita? 16

Siapa Parasit? In Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 Academy Award-winning film Parasite, members of a poor family, are employed by a wealthy homeowning family. They infiltrate the household and attempt take over their wealth resources and lives. Post Malaysia’s GE15 Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) has accused the Democratic Action Party (DAP) of being a parasite riding on a Malay unity government that will in the end destroy the “weak” host. The Chinese-dominated multiethnic DAP was the 2nd most successful party in GE15 with 40 seats and will be part of the Unity Governmenmt under Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim. PAS was the party that won the most seats, numbering 47 and will be part of the opposition.

Image: http://www.ruthlessreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/parasite-meta.jpg

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2022/11/30/pas-accuses-dap-of-being-a-parasite-heres-what-the-data-shows-about-its-position-in-govt/42709

https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/12000736/

Ke Mana Malaysia Kita? 10

Politik Malaysia 1955 -2022

1955 – A decisive win for Alliance in the first elections held in Malaya.
2022 – A Unity Government consisting of PH, BN, GPS, and GRS

Anwar has become detached from Pakatan Harapan and is imbricated with UMNO, GPS and GRS. UMNO now occupies the place of the MCA as the second partner in the coalition as MCA has been displaced. DAP has taken the place third place from MIC. Following not so far behind, as the Unity Government crosses the finish line, is the ethnocracy threatened by Perikatan Nasional. PAS is already there at the finish as the party that won the largest number of seats in GE 15.

Previous version: https://koboiproject.com/2020/07/15/politik-malaysia-1955-2020/

Ke Mana Malaysia Kita? 7

A is for Anwar Ibrahim. He is now the 10th PM of Malaysia and his first job is to form the cabinet of the new unity government. Partiularly, he has to find a compromise that satisfies his old allies of choice and his new allies of convenience (or duty, to put it positively).. What will this mean for all the hopes of his base, particularly their ‘no compromise on corruption’ and ‘the Malaysia for all’ aspirations. Whatever the outcome, Anwar Ibrahim is now the leader of a larger coalition than he started with and this logically means a degree of detachment from the community that brought him to the Prime Minesterial role. The pertinent question is – how far he will rise above his base?

Update 17. 12.2022: Some quarters are now suggesting that Anwar Ibrahim’s Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)signed with his Unity Government supporters on the eve of the vote of confidence on his new government, is a prelude to a new Malaysian Autocracy! The MOA allegedly contains a condition that misconstrues Article 49A of the Federal constitution as it refers to it as the basis for a clause that requires government MPs to vacate their seat if they vote against the prime minister. On the other hand one cannot but sympathize with the new PM in his desperate need to restrain Malaysian parliaments inherently amphibious condition – its tendency towards Katakcracy!


https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2022/12/17/unity-govts-mou-prelude-to-dictatorship-says-ex-deputy-law-minister/

Politik Keselamatan (1947 – 2020)

After a cartoon in Hiboran, 1947 re-presented in an essay by Lee Kam Hing in Asia-The Winning of Independence, McMillam, 1981

Source Image: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-1-349-16634-3_6