Umno-BN is back in power but is Malaysia politically stable now? DAP lawmaker asks

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — DAP’s Liew Chin Tong today exhorted Malaysians to unite and reject the Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition if they wanted a better future.

The Johor state lawmaker rejected the BN’s guarantees of political stability in the country, asserting that the coalition has instead been the source of instability causing the nation to undergo two government changes since Election 2018.

“An unreformed Umno is exactly why we are going through political chaos,” the Perling assemblyman said in his Facebook post.

Liew said new Umno leaders could have rejuvenated the party following its electoral defeat in 2018, but claimed it instead chose to fan hatred towards the elected Pakatan Harapan government.

“A new political order cannot be established because of the choices Umno and Barisan Nasional made immediately after the May 2018 election,” he added.

He listed the series of political events after GE14, including the rise of Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as Umno party president, the fall of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as former prime minister, and the current infighting within Umno to push for a snap general election.

Liew noted there were two camps in Umno now, describing them as Team A led by the “Court Cluster” and Team B, led by the party vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob who is the incumbent prime minister.

The “court cluster” is an epithet PH leaders and BN critics came up with to refer to Umno lawmakers facing a slew of criminal and corruption charges, namely its president Ahmad Zahid and former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who are pushing for early general elections.

As PM, Ismail Sabri has the prerogative to advise the King on elections and so far he has indicated that now is not the right time as focus should be on economic recovery.

“It’s the Court Cluster’s third attempt to bring down the sitting government since 2018 after having brought down the PH government and the Muhyiddin government.

“A snap poll would only benefit Najib and Zahid, not the people,” Liew said.

He claimed that Ahmad Zahid’s approach is a “scorched earth” strategy aimed at preventing himself and Najib from going to jail by returning the Umno-led BN to full federal power.

Liew indicated that the only way to thwart this group’s plan is for Malaysians of all backgrounds to unite.

“Malaysians of all backgrounds, including Umno members who want a better Malaysia, should unite against the Court Cluster and to thwart their conspiracy in pushing for snap polls,” he concluded.