Will there be light over darkness for the opposition?

How will Nurul and Tony, in London, remove Najib?

Anonymous #33227154: The opposition must clean up its own house, pull their act together and come up with a clear vision for Malaysia. What plans do the opposition have if they manage to topple Umno and form a government?

Malaysians have suffered under Umno for too long, we want a better life. The opposition needs to tell the people what they can expect when there is a change of government.

Also, it’s time for the opposition to do major housekeeping and weed out the corrupt members, traitors and moles within. Malaysians want a competent, capable, non-corrupt and non-racist government.

Frank: Reading the piece made me sad. Truly, it is not quite the fault of anyone that the tyrants continue to be in power. It is all because for so many of us in Malaysia, we have not suffered enough.

Unless we reach the stage where the insult has become too much for the average Malaysians, including the opposition, and where it is a real struggle to bring food to the table, there is nothing that one can do to make the difference.

Hence, there is no need to give opposition MPs Tony Pua and Nurul Izzah a hard time in London. Instead, pray and do whatever one can to make sure that the hardest time come down fast on the average Malaysians.

Really, what has taken place in Malaysia these days is not the fault of anybody for it is the fault of just about everybody. Rome is not built in one day – and what Malaysia is today has been in the works for (believe it or not) decades, if not centuries.

Even if it were to take some more years for change to take place, so be it. For once it happens, it shall be a permanent one.

Patricia A Martinez: Great advice, Malaysiakini columnist Mariam Mokhtar. Unfortunately, most of the comments seem to think you are anti-opposition. Not. May I add – what PKR especially is sorely lacking is leadership – quick decision-making, consistency about positions.

Pakatan Harapan is wobbly not only for your reasons, and what they say that is credible, but also because the guy in prison is calling the shots (sympathy for him, but…).

He has no access to what is on the ground, wide consultations, etc. The Good Lady who leads PKR and the Pakatan is frankly… (I am trying not to use the word ‘puppet’).

We don’t need an opposition coalition that agrees on every issue. Their strength is also their diversity and ability to resonate with a wide range of the population. But they need to be consistent and clear on fundamental issues for even an ordinary simple Malaysian to believe they can form an alternative government.

And they need to do it early enough, so that we all get the message, loud and clear.

Kim Quek: Mariam and fellow critics, do you think it’s that easy to topple a long entrenched autocracy? Would autocrats Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi have been toppled if not for foreign armed intervention?

Umno hegemony has been perpetuated, because Malaysia is in truth an autocracy, with all democratic institutions including the entire bureaucracy and mass media subverted to act as henchmen for Umno, and the Election Commission is unabashedly conducting itself as an agency of Umno.

With such a terribly lopsided playing field, it was indeed a Herculean achievement for Pakatan to have won 52 percent (against 47 percent for BN) of popular votes in the last election.

It would be poised to do even better in the next election, if not for PAS’ abandonment of Pakatan’s common cause. Apart from PAS breaking away, there is no disunity among PKR, DAP and Amanah.

What is most urgent now is to form a grand alliance to face off Umno/BN, embracing Bersatu this time, and PAS (if possible).

Malaysia belongs to every one of us, not just Pakatan or Umno/BN; so it is up to every one of us to do what he/she can to help bring the necessary changes. Constructive criticism is welcome, but unfounded criticism will demoralise and work against bringing the changes.

Leaders of Pakatan are human after all. They need encouragement as much as each of us needs it.

Hello: Yes, the opposition is fractured. But you can’t mix religious, racial parties and secular parties together, if we want a secular government for the country.

Courting PAS is out of the question after two failed attempts at coalition politics. Let PAS go its merry way and the rest of the opposition parties gather to form a strong coalition.

Najib will topple irrespective of PAS being in the coalition. Parties must stick to their stated ideals and principles and not sell them for a convenient objective.

Existential Turd: The opposition leaders flock to London to tell Malaysians how corrupt the BN government is, and how they are going to depose Najib and everything will turn out to be a bed of roses. This is wrong on so many levels.

First, they are wasting time and money preaching to the choir. Second, why go all the way to London, can’t they do it in Kuala Lumpur? Thirdly, they should be trudging through muddy roads to reach the voters that actually count.

As the author rightly pointed out, the rural Malays vote with their heart, not their brain. It is hard enough reaching their minds, let alone their hearts. The opposition is doing neither.

They are hoping the BN government will screw up big time and votes miraculously fall on their laps. Well, that hasn’t happened, despite the 1MDB saga. The opposition has reached a saturation point by simply coasting on BN’s missteps.

Appum: Coming up with a shadow cabinet is tough at this point of time. But at least the opposition needs to come out with a clear reform agenda, explicitly spell out what they will carry out once voted into power.

With this Magna Carta document, at least people know what to expect if they are asking the rakyat to change the government.

Better still, if they can come out with an “immediate change”, “short-term change”, and “long-term change” agendas so that the rakyat understand what to expect. Many fear the “jumping from the frying pan into the fire syndrome”.

Politicians must know and understand what the rakyat want, not what the politicians think they want.

Malaccan: I find it odd that the opposition is held accountable for the lack of support from voters. Aren’t the voters accountable for their choices too? Is it enough to complain that voters were not given enough reasons or convinced to do the right thing?

Voters must do their part or their own future be damned. Sure, the opposition can do better, and must. Their dalliance with PAS must be stopped cold for now, whatever the cost. PAS’ current leaders are without honour or principles.

It is madness to lose political initiative and forward momentum waiting for a recalcitrant PAS. But the opposition needs to continue taking their message beyond the immediate. Reaching out to new voter bases and tomorrow’s support is crucial.

Should we abandon all if we cannot win in the next GE? Stop taking the wind out of the opposition’s sails with potshots, and partner with it instead.

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