YOU need not look much further back than 2014 to know just how ugly politics in this country can get.
From insensitive remarks, incessant bickering character assassination attempts, and then some statements that were downright silly, Malaysian politicians sure know how to entertain, even if it may be for the wrong reasons.
A constant theme throughout the year has been the infighting between members of the same coalition, when they should have been spending more time firing shots at the opposite number.
The very open squabble between DAP and PAS stood out for me this year, with politicians from both parties not hiding their unhappiness with the other, especially on the ‘hudud’ issue and during the Selangor Mentri Besar impasse.
It is no wonder why senior leaders in Pakatan Rakyat, such as Lim Kit Siang, are beginning to question whether there will still be an opposition alliance come GE14.
What was more damaging was that many of our politicians took their tiffs to social media, making statements and counter-statements in the glare of the public eye.
The more they bickered, the deeper the hole they dug for themselves and their party, and I do wonder if a move to consolidate and reconcile in 2015 will be enough to avert the damage.
Talking about digging holes, PKR are now seemingly veterans in the art of character assassination, particularly of one former Mentri Besar whose only crime was to deliver a cash reserve of RM2 billion for Selangor.
The utter farce that was the Kajang move, which led to a full-blown MB crisis in the state, was an affront to the concept of democracy the party itself has fought for, not to mention completely unnecessary.
The waters may have become a little still since the crisis ended in September, but I suspect PKR will realise the full extent of the damage when Malaysians next take to the voting booths.
The year will always be remembered for the heart-wrenching MH370 and MH17 disasters.
But while the tragedies had rallied the nation and brought us closer together, I’m not quite sure if the same effect rubbed off on our beloved politicians.
The revelation that flight MH370’s journey ended in the Indian Ocean had not even fully sunk in when a PKR vice-president Tian Chua pettily argued on Twitter why the information was not presented in Parliament.
Netizens subsequently put him in his place, and rightly so. However, it was not enough to stop further insensitive remarks from being spewed.
PAS Youth, in a statement that defied logic, said that Malaysia Airlines was beset by the two tragedies because it continued un-Islamic practices like serving alcohol on board.
Of course, there was no shortage of politically incorrect remarks and actions on the ruling front.
Who can forget Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Moktar Radin’s infamous Hitler reference when Germany won the World Cup in July?
Or that time when an Umno division leader tried to spark racial tension by calling for vernacular schools to be abolished?
Petaling Jaya Utara Umno deputy chief Mohamad Azli Mohemed Saad was on the end of criticism from Barisan Nasional component parties and Umno itself for his irresponsible statement.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s unpopular decision to retain the Sedition Act 1948, having promised to replace it, was another blemish on the year that was.
It is also no surprise that the year should end with yet another political squabble, this time within MIC, which saw an angry scuffle breaking out at the party’s headquarters last week over calls for its
top leaders to step down.
It is quite depressing to know that there are significant issues we need to address as a society, and yet we devote so much of time and energy to excessive and needless politicking.
Nevertheless, one common trend amid all the political shenanigans this year was the level of maturity and intelligence showed by the majority of Malaysians.
Between the voices trying to sow discord, and the downright nonsensical statements, cooler heads had always prevailed. It will be our one weapon to defend ourselves should a similar scenario await us
in 2015.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.
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Akil Yunus
Akil Yunus believes the world would be a better place without politics, but also a lot duller. He is a moderate at everything but eating, and feels people should make sense, not war.
