Azizan and Kedah DAP resolve to patch up

An agreement has been reached between Kedah DAP and Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak, paving the way for a noisy internal feud blown-out-of-proportion by the Umno press to finally come to an end.

“Met Kedah MB Azizan with DAP Kedah chairman Thomas Su and secretary Lee Guan Aik over Pakatan Rakyat Kedah. Reached agreement and set up Pakatan Rakyat Kedah problem solving mechanism,” Kit Siang twittered back on his blog.

“No problem, no problem. It is over,” Azizan told reporters after the meeting.

Endorsement

Although Kedah DAP can only formally rejoin Pakatan after the decision is endorsed by rest of state committee, the reconciliation will nevertheless be cheered far and wide across the country by Pakatan supporters.

News that Kedah DAP had pulled out from the coalition over the closure of an abattoir had shocked the nation, causing a week of emotional distress and uneasiness, with top leaders trying their best to bring about a reconciliation without sacrificing principles or respective promises to their voters.

On July 1, Kedah DAP had stormed out of the Kedah state government accusing Azizan of not being sincere after he refused to stop the demolition of a decades-old slaughterhouse, which to be fair was the bane of residents in the area for years.

Su and other Kedah DAP members were also unhappy over the PAS-led state government’s decision to raise to 50 percent from 30 percent the housing quota for bumiputeras as well as the partial demolition of two temples.

The patient Azizan, who has maintained that he could not restrain the Alor Setar municipal council from tearing down the abattoir, has however taken pains to find a replacement site for the 28 pork wholesalers and distributors.

“We had expected there would be settlement between DAP and PAS in Kedah. In fact, the Menteri Besar had already given an undertaking to resolve the issue but the DAP jumped the gun. Still, we are glad that Kit Siang is willing to reach an amicable solution,” said PKR strategic affairs director Tian Chua.

Different ideologies? Of course, Pakatan is but a microcosm of the Malaysian population

In the past week, there have accusations from both friends and foes that Pakatan was shooting itself in the foot by its stubborn refusal to keep quiet and conform.

Indeed apart from the expected jibing from the Umno-BN, leaders from the three Pakatan parties themselves made no bones about their feelings on the pullout.

Very public calls were made to the DAP not to be arrogant and mulish and to PAS not to lose sight of its non-Malay voters in its quest to please the Malay ones.

Umno-BN supporters again rushed to bring out the top weapon in their arsenal – how can three very different entities with completely contrasting ideologies come together and administer Malaysia?

But actually, what is Malaysia now? Or even before?

A very polarised nation of not just Malays, Indians and Chinese but also Kadazandusuns, Dayaks, Punjabis and so forth.

If the fiercely Islamist PAS, the proudly secular DAP and the humbly multi-racial PKR can bring themselves to negotiate and give-and-take to find a common platform, then Malaysians have a chance at real unity.

Because if they can’t, it merely reflects the divisions amongst the people themselves. At the core of it, Pakatan is just that – a microcosm of the Malaysian population, warts and strengths across the spectrum – right, left and centre.

“This has been a very challenging episode for all us in Pakatan. It is a good lesson that perhaps we must be more circumspect in our words and speech especially with the Umno-BN press,” said Tian.

“They have gone all out to destroy us. But at the same, I don’t think any of us in Pakatan – PKR, PAS or DAP – would stop stop speaking up for the people. If that makes us noisy, so be it. But we are confident the people will accept us and appreciate it even more because we are sincere and open about our work.” (SK)