Recipe for chaos

Have our people thought carefully about the implications and consequences a sudden change of government in Putrajaya would bring? Do people think that once there is a change in the prime ministership and Anwar Ibrahim is in power, everything would be smooth sailing?

Even if Anwar succeeds in getting MPs to cross over, would he be accepted automatically as prime minister? Can he show that he commands the support of the majority of MPs in the Dewan Rakyat when the Dewan is in recess? Wouldn’t his opponents and constitutional experts demand that his claim be put to the test through a motion in the House as required by law? Wouldn’t that lead to a constitutional wrangle?

Even if the Dewan is summoned and a vote taken and Anwar is endorsed, wouldn’t others argue that the proper procedure is for the PM, who has lost the confidence of the Dewan, to advise the King to dissolve the Dewan and call for a fresh parliamentary election to be held? There are other complications. If the Dewan is dissolved, what happens to the national budget which has been tabled but not debated or passed? If the budget is in limbo, would it affect government expenditure next year, with all its horrendous consequences?

Even if the Dewan is not dissolved, but a new government is in power as a result of crossovers, what would the status of the budget be? Assuming that all these problems are overcome, and an Anwar government is established in Putrajaya, with a slim majority, what guarantee is there that the Umno-BN opposition will not try to topple the new government? There are powerful vested interests around Umno-BN which will not disappear overnight. One can expect personalities in the police, the armed forces and the civil service who have intimate links to Umno-BN to work extra hard to restore the status quo.

Having enjoyed power, authority, influence and prestige for more than 50 years, they will not give up that easily. All this will lead to unending jockeying for power and politicking. It will lead to instability and disorder. With instability and uncertainty, the economy will suffer. Both domestic and foreign investors will not want to invest in the country. The public services will be in a state of paralysis because there is no clear political direction and no political cohesion. People will be neglected since those who matter will be absorbed in either maintaining or seeking power. This will not help at this point of time when the world is in the midst of an economic crisis.

If Malaysia gets into this mess, relations among the different communities will certainly deteriorate. Political instability and economic distress always worsen racial ties. Since our racial ties are already so fragile, can you imagine what this will lead to?