So is it all Barisan Nasional's fault?

UMNO leaders and grassroot is 100% solid with PM @NajibRazak

Raghavan Nair

A recently held dialogue/forum in London with two PKR executive councilors (EXCO) from Penang has highlighted the actual reason for turmoil within the Opposition coalition. Everything that happens is the fault of Barisan Nasional.

The only reason Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is still able to walk around bearing a thirty-two teeth smile is because the Opposition is weak. Scandal after scandal is surfacing but Najib is unfazed. The only constant pressure for Najib is coming from the likes of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. The Opposition is tainted with so many problems internally that they can hardly collectively work on pushing for the prime minister’s resignation.

How convenient is it for them to blame BN for their internal struggles. PAS’s Datuk Seri Hadi Awang is often labeled a traitor and made the scapegoat for all troubles in the Opposition pack. They claim Najib masterminded the demise of Pakatan by persuading Hadi to accept the Trojan Horse after jailing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Let’s get one thing straight. Najib was only able to play to the break-up in Pakatan because Pakatan’s base was too weak. Look in the mirror and ask yourselves if Najib is solely responsible for your internal squabbles.

When the nation was against the idea of DAP and PKR joining forces with PAS, who spearheaded the relationship of convenience with PAS? Was it Najib? Any sensible person would have told you that PAS is bad business but yet PKR and DAP was too arrogant to listen. While PAS was always bent on hudud why did Lim Kit Siang go to Kelantan and speak against hudud? Is Najib responsible for that too? When experts advised against appointing Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the Pakatan head, why didn’t any Opposition leader listen? Did Najib force a weak leader to head Pakatan? Did Najib also hand Wan Azizah and Azmin Ali the Trojan Horse that they are so stubborn to continue maintaining a relationship with PAS in Selangor?

The truth is the Opposition has no leadership qualities. Everybody wants to be the chief chef, not realising that too many hands spoils the soup. Any issue that is not consensually agreed upon by all three parties, is blown out of proportions publicly. A complete mockery is made of one another because of disagreements.

In contrast look at BN. Although MIC stood their ground against the recent ‘Red-Shirt rally’, they professionally agreed to disagree with one another. They bashed each other behind closed doors and when the PM gave his media statement, all remained quiet. They may not have agreed with UMNO’s decision but they never made disparaging remarks against their leader openly. That is exactly how every successful team functions. It is not by chance the Opposition is straggling behind.

Leaders from BN today accept that there are deficiencies in the current government. They acknowledge the fact that there are flaws. They recognise the problem and try to work their way in solving them. The Opposition on the other hand never admits their mistakes. They try to portray an image of perfectionism and when crap hits the fan, the response is always “Najib is behind it. BN is to be blamed.”

It is frustrating to see the way the Opposition conduct themselves at times. If they ever form the government and things go wrong, who are they going to continue blaming? Personally, the Opposition is still not ready to govern the country. They may be doing a decent job governing Penang and Selangor but running a country is a different ball game. Sometimes I wonder if the current bunch is cut out for it.

While people are fed-up with BN, they don’t see any light from the Opposition. Sometimes it may be better to trust the known devil than an unknown angel.

Always remember that every time you point a finger to blame someone, three fingers are pointing back at you. Stop finding excuses for your troubles and start finding solutions instead.