JOHOR BARU, Dec 14 – Johor PKR’s parliamentarian Hassan Abdul Karim today implied in a poem that power can ultimately corrupt a political leader’s personality, including betraying their own party’s struggle.
In his latest Malay poem entitled Kuasa Mengubah Segala-galanya (Power Changes Everything), the outspoken Pasir Gudang MP expressed his personal disappointment that was believed to be directed at Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution’s defence of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act or Sosma.
The security law has been controversial among many in the Opposition prior to the 15th general election (GE15) as it allows the police to detain a suspect for up to 28 days without legal representation.
“Power is as sweet as honey, but power is also poison that darkens the heart. Power can change everything.
“In the past, we used to say that the law was cruel. We call it ‘draconian’, the iron fist act that denied basic rights. At that time we were just reformers on the streets who are homeless,” Hassan wrote on his Facebook page.
In his poem, the 71-year-old activist and lawyer also cynically directed his sharp satire on PKR’s top leadership who he alleged had forgotten their reformist struggle shortly after being in the government.
Hassan is believed to be suggesting that PKR leaders after becoming the backbone of the unity government after GE15 no longer believed in their previous reformist struggles.
“Now it’s different, the world has changed. We are already in power, high up in Putrajaya,” he insinuated without naming any PKR leaders.
Hassan added in the poem that the change has been drastic where even the home minister’s voice, who was once his party comrade, is now like a policeman’s.
“With that, I consider my poem as shooting myself in the foot,” he said, referring to his writing that seems to impede and damage the current ruling party which is PKR.
