From Clement Stanley
A genuinely good prime minister is one who stands for all the people of the country.
He isn’t one that caters to the needs of selected states or the demands put on him by certain politicians with hidden agendas.
A good prime minister will stand by his principles, be true to his values and live up to his word.
A prime minister who is firm and strong in character will know how to handle a sensitive situation before it festers and goes out of control.
He would be smart enough to realise that his political enemies will push him to the limits and torment him until he falls for their grand designs and self-destructs.
Mahathir’s gambit
When Dr Mahathir Mohamad plays up race and religion, he is fully aware that Anwar Ibrahim is in a Catch-22 position because the latter would not dare cross swords with him in a highly sensitive and sticky situation.
He knows Anwar will remain silent or ignore him because the spoils of future victory lie in the hands of the community which he seeks to instigate against the unity government.
He knows for as long as he uses race and religion to unsettle the government, Anwar will continue to be kept in check. All that has to happen now is for others to take the cue from him and keep pushing Anwar into a corner and tighten the noose around his neck.
Extremist views
Today there are MPs from the opposition parties openly expressing extremist views such as calling on the government to take extreme measures.
Take the PAS MP for Hulu Langat for example. Ahmad Yunus Hairi has the nerve to suggest that non-Muslim houses of worship should not be allowed to be built in the vicinity of a mosque.
Mosque and church share their car parks
Yunus should visit Miri, Sarawak, where Masjid An Naim and the Good Shepherd Church have been built next to each other. On Fridays, the church compound is open to Muslims to park their cars. On Sundays, the masjid’s compound is open for Catholics to park their cars.
In Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, the Church of Immaculate Conception opens its compound to Muslims to park their cars during Ramadan as the area is dotted with food stalls owned by Muslims.
The only way to keep extremism in check in this country is to give Sabah and Sarawak more parliamentary seats.
One-third share of seats
Now that Sabah and Sarawak are recognised as equal partners in Malaysia, give us one third of the 222 parliamentary seats or create additional seats for Sabah and Sarawak.
Do that and the governments in East Malaysia will never allow extremism to thrive.
Just listen to our political leaders speak and religious leaders who preach tolerance. Or look at our families that celebrate both intermarriages and various festivals as one. No racial divides. No religious divides.
Additional parliamentary seats will allow Sabah and Sarawak to forever be the guiding light in nation-building.
Clement Stanley is an FMT reader.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.