By Clara Chooi
IPOH, Oct 30 — “What doesn’t break you only makes you stronger”. The phrase serves as a guide for the ousted Perak Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government as they move on from one gruelling battle to the next to regain power.
And if anyone should think that the coalition no longer has any fight left in them, then they are far from right.
The events of the Oct 28 sitting has done nothing to dampen the spirits of the PR brigade. In fact, according to the troop’s general, former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, they were now even more inspired to persevere.
Next week, top PR leaders will congregate to discuss their next course of action, which Nizar says will encompass taking on their political foes “in a different realm this time”.
“Whatever obstruction the Barisan Nasional (BN) dares to impose upon us only makes us more and more determined.
“In fact, we have become stronger, we have become wiser — it is from these trying times that we draw our greatest strengths from. They cannot break our unified front,” he told The Malaysian Insider today.
Nizar admitted that support for the Perak PR was waning as many felt the ousted government should just lay down arms and wait for the next general election to launch its attack against BN.
He has, however, chosen to look at the advice in a different manner, saying that such belief was born out of sympathy over the violent injustices inflicted upon PR assemblymen.
“They are saying that because they are feeling sympathy for us. They are worried for our safety. They have seen what was done to us and they are aware of all the persecutions we have had to endure,” said Nizar.
He said PR lawmakers would not be disheartened by such comments but were instead proud that their supporters sympathised with them and were willing to accept it if their leaders loosened their ties and called it a day.
“But we cannot stop this fight — it will go on. We want to change the political landscape, not just in Perak but in all of Malaysia.
“Perak is very important because we can set the example for all the other states, which are now taking hard hits from BN,” he said.
Nizar said that PR could not afford to take a break from the fight or even sneak a swig of water when the half-time whistle is blown.
He knows the people may forget.
They may forget how the government was “stolen”; how the PR’s Speaker V. Sivakumar had been forcible removed from the Speaker’s chair on May 7; how the police had supposedly manhandled the opposition before Wednesday’s sitting; and most important of all, they may forget how well the PR had done when they held on to government for 10 months last year.
This is why, Nizar said, the PR assemblymen had continued spreading their wings across the state through countless ceramahs and dinners, making sure the people remembered.
“Yes, support is waning. But we need to prevent that. We need to remind the people of why we are fighting and whom we are fighting for.
“We need to tell them, explain to them, keep them informed of the violence we have had to endure and why we cannot just give up and let go,” he said.
Nizar noted that PR’s fight was not a selfish one, for they were not in the battle to regain control of the state.
“What we want is to return democracy to Perak. To give the people back their right to choose their own government. I am not here because I want (Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr) Zambry (Abd Kadir) to leave the mentri besar’s room so I can sit there,” he said.
Despite his bravado however, it is clear that Nizar, like most of the other PR assemblymen, are tired of fighting. Not because they have lost their spirit but simply because they feel they have had no choice but to walk into most battles with their eyes closed.
A former state executive councillor Thomas Su said that the PR assemblymen may seem strong on the outside, but were really humans inside, too.
“It is quite scary to walk into something without knowing what the outcome would be. On Wednesday (during the sitting), we did not know what they had planned for us. We did not know how we would walk out of there — whether we would be safe or hurt.
“We did not know that they wanted to attack us — that they were hiding in wait for us in the parking lot,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
On Wednesday, PR assemblymen on their way to the state assembly hall were apparently blocked by policemen who wanted ousted Speaker V. Sivakumar to return the Speaker’s robe. The confrontation ended in a physical scuffle between the PR assemblymen and the police.
Su said the experience had left himself, as well as most state PR leaders, tired both physically and mentally.
However, he added, the latest events had also served to fuel their anger and frustrations, gearing them to reinforce themselves with better battle strategies to face the next fight.
“The problem is that, we cannot just allow them to do this to us and to the people. It is not about accepting and conceding defeat. It is about the principle of the matter. How can you just let a person go when he has done such great injustices to you?” he said.
Nizar, too, echoed this view and said that Wednesday had indeed taken its toll on him.
“We were panting and so tired by the time we entered the assembly hall. They not only attacked us but they blocked the lifts and made us walk the flights of stairs to Level 2 for the sitting.
“Imagine how our more elderly assemblymen felt?” he said.
Despite this, Nizar said that the PR assemblymen knew it was not time now to stomp their feet and throw childish tantrums.
Su agreed and said it was time to abandon symbolic fights like arguing over petty issues like robes, and organising sittings beneath trees and hotels.
“Now, we need to think how to win the people’s confidence back. We need to remind them why they should choose us and why we are good,” he said.
“We will fight them on a different level — a whole new realm. We will find the best political action to make sure the people remember who we are and why we are a good government,” said Nizar.
Whatever they decide, it is clear that the political impasse in Perak is far from over.
The PR representatives are caught in a Catch-22 — conceding defeat would not only cause them to lose further support, it would also set a precedent that would haunt them if they should helm the government again one day.
On the other hand, keeping up the fight could very well paint the ugly picture of their pettiness and an unwillingness to set aside differences for the good of the people.
For now, the Perak PR seems to be treading on glass and one wrong or impulsive move could very well cost them the state in the next general election.
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