LETTER: Political instability emerges again as the number one risk to the country. Just over the New Year weekend, there was a war of words between Umno and Bersatu, started by Umno youth chief, Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki who accused Bersatu of "stealing and buying" off its members based on the many complaints and concerns about it from among party members and grassroots leaders nationwide.
This led to a rejoinder from Bersatu information chief, Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who denied the accusation and asserted the latter's allegations were not backed by evidence.
What's interesting is their war of words was done through Facebook when matter such as this is best to be brought and resolved through the mechanism of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) presidential council.
It escalated into an existential issue when the Umno leadership sees Bersatu for all intents and purposes as out to destroy Umno. This culminated in a clarion call by Umno President, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to all Umno MPs to leave the PN coalition, which could lead to a snap election, which Umno later denied its President making such a statement.
The present political drama is reminiscent of last February's political crisis. Back then it was the politicking within Pakatan Harapan that had led to its downfall. Now, it is the politicking within PN whose ending has yet to be ascertained.
Unlike back then when a dark horse was triumphant, this time around many will think it will be opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who will be the victorious white horse. But is this so? In the meantime, it is the rakyat who will suffer just like they suffered back then during the second wave of the Covid attack, and then the third wave of infection.
Will there be a more deadly fourth wave because a snap election is going to be held amid a four digit daily infection pandemic? Will the economy collapse because this never-ending politicking will affect the fundamentals of the economy and may result in investors voting with their feet and move out of the country to cut their losses?
Or will sanity prevail among the politicians seeing that flood and pandemic are all over the country, to finally agree letting the present government continue to focus on the fight against Covid-19 and on recovery of the economy, and then pick up their battle once all these challenges are overcome? Only time will tell.
JAMARI MOHTAR
EMIR Research
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times