YOURSAY | No big tent - don’t touch kleptocrats with 10-foot pole

YOURSAY | ‘It would mean they are no different from the thugs, crooks and…’

COMMENT | Come GE15, Sheraton traitors will have to go

COMMENT | Harapan, small is beautiful

COMMENT | 'Big Tent' strategy a misreading of election history

Koel: Well said, Malaysiakini columnist Francis Paul Siah. PKR president Anwar Ibrahim needs decent advisers with integrity and judgement.

Malaysians are sick of clowns and idiots grabbing power to enrich themselves. Malaysians are sick of corrupt politicians seeking to be leaders of this country. Malaysians are sick of corrupt politicians cheating the people of their mandate.

Working with traitors will be a damning step for Pakatan Harapan. It would mean that they are no different from the thugs, crooks and kleptocrats who stole the hard-earned tax ringgits of decent and hardworking Malaysians.

It would mean they are fine with families of politicians being handed huge business contracts. It would mean Anwar and company are comfortable with thieves who steal people’s money to buy Birkin bags, diamond tiaras, high-end property in New York, London, Singapore, etc.

It would mean Anwar condones thieves who run off with people's money to hide in neighbouring countries while buying themselves new lives, yachts, etc. Is this what you stand for Harapan, Anwar?

Justmyview: A well-fortified small castle with good strategists, as well as loyal and committed soldiers, is much better than a big tent full of ambitious, conniving and untrustworthy commanders with a history of traitorous tendencies and behaviour.

Will those short-sighted leaders with poor memory in DAP, Amanah and PKR learn?

Milshah: I prefer to be a reader than a writer nowadays but Malaysiakini columnist P Gunasegaram wrote such an amazing topic about ‘Small is beautiful’. And that’s what the opposition has done under various coalition names since independence.

What happened when the opposition adopted this ‘small is beautiful’ strategy? The minorities were happy - they got the ideal opposition they always wanted. With one tiny problem. They would never become the government of the day.

From 1957 to 2018, the opposition failed to win government. They were happy sticking to their principles.

But in 2018, probably due to being bored being in opposition for a good 50-plus years, they tried something new by working with former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his party Bersatu. And they finally won.

What Gunasegaram is proposing is to go back to the days when there was just a small opposition, while BN runs the show. Yes, small is beautiful. But small is without power.

Maybe this is how it should be. Harapan should never dream about being the government. Just stay as the opposition.

BrownCheetah9736: Too much time and effort are spent by opposition parties debating the big tent strategy.

I agree that this didn’t win Harapan the last election. What won that day was kleptocrats all across the board, from 1MDB to cows in condos, etc - their pilferage was so openly blatant to the point that even the Malays were fed up.

Now, what some are saying is that when Harapan was in power, they came across as trying to be too ‘goody two shoes’ - turning off all the taps, money flow, projects, and wielding the attorney-general’s office like a bludgeon.

When not engrossed in internal bickering, they were busy either auditing, prosecuting, or blaming.

Many now have accepted that corruption is not going to go away, and the minorities have concluded that their rights are not going to get better either way.

So, going back to the BN status quo is best. At least, there are freebies to be received, longkang (drains) and potholes to be fixed, and vernacular school refurbishments and funding to be continued.

Falcon: It's super obvious the mantra is - as long as one has the opportunity to be prime minister, even by an obscene long shot and vulgar compromises, what's wrong with sleeping with the enemy?

And therefore, their claims, talks, and sermons on 'reforms' are all hogwash. That's why insiders have begun to distance themselves from the greatest political pretenders Malaysia has ever produced.

That's why it was stated by an insider, that change can only come after another 10 years. By that time, this generation of thieves and chameleons would have died or gone out of circulation, God willing.

The Wakandan: Permutation is necessary to achieve a majority in Parliament to form the government. So, you cannot rule out negotiation, which is quite common when there is no clear majority.

The relevant question is, what limit is there in such negotiations without compromising the party?

Playing devil’s advocate here, politics is the art of the possible, to make allies out of enemies, even out of traitors. Therefore, never burn bridges but keep your cards close to the chest. You may never know when you need them.

The objective of the 15th general election is to achieve victory. However, failing that, what will you do?

The result could be like the present status quo of no party or coalition having enough seats to form the government outright. When it comes to that, negotiations will need to be carried out.

It is foolish not to do so, unless of course, if you are not interested in becoming the government.

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