COMMENT | Is a failed state our 64th Merdeka gift?

COMMENT | The news in recent days has been sad and crazy. If we read that about any other country, we’d think it was some failed state in Africa led by some power-crazy general. Have we come down to that level on the eve of our 64th Merdeka?

We hoped that our long national horror movie might end when Umno leader Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced his 11 MPs were finally going to unsheath their magic keris to repel the backdoor goblins. Everyone thought, OK this was it, game over. But no, the gremlins came screeching back with a vengeance.

Why must Parliament wait till September? Will the delay buy time for the embattled backdoor gang to entice more frogs over? What if another excuse is cooked up then to postpone it again?

The Agong can easily solve this mess in just two days by interviewing all MPs to determine who has the majority. This, in fact, is exactly what he did back in 2020 during the Sheraton Move, after Bersatu declared that it was leaving Pakatan Harapan. One wonders why it’s not being done now?

Some 11 Umno MPs have declared they are withdrawing support for Perikatan Nasional, leaving “the numbers” for the backdoor jokers clearly below the magic number of 111 MPs (for majority support). Surely, it’s crucial to quickly determine whether this government is still legitimate?

Delaying that till September will only create more uncertainty in this country when what we need so urgently now are firm decisions and clear directions. How can this government focus on the job at hand when it’s constantly looking over its shoulder at the next Parliament session?

Given how critical our triple health-economic-political crisis is, the process can even be speeded up through virtual video meetings. After all, this is how the Agong discussed the very revocation of the emergency with the law minister and attorney-general...