PH SHOULD FOCUS ON CORE ISSUES

YOU may have heard that Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad called a meeting at the Perdana Leadership Foundation last week to ramp up Pakatan Harapan’s social media presence.

Currently, there is no news on cybertroopers’ direction and the role they play in crafting the narrative of the PH government.

Why the sudden need to bolster PH’s online presence, you may ask. After all, it has been 11 months since PH won power (which can be credited to its strong social media presence). Surely the newfound

need for momentum is to prepare for something else?

There was tension between Dr Mahathir and the Johor palace last week. Dr Mahathir’s dislike for the monarchy is not new. But what many of us have to acknowledge or accept is that the monarchy functions as a check and balance to the government. In a constitutional monarchy, the monarchy’s presence is still imperative, albeit with limited powers to ensure there will be no tyrannical leaders with absolute power.

Dr Mahathir, as a tried and experienced statesman, should realign his focus. The recent loss in the Rantau by-election serves as a barometer to gauge the popularity of the ruling coalition.

The fact is, Pakatan Harapan is facing an erosion of popularity among voters across racial lines, especially the Malays. A clash with the monarchy will not only make the government seem arrogant, but also lackadaisical in protecting the Malay tradition and cultural heritage.

The economy, despite having the numbers to tell a good story, is not much different on the ground to many people. PH came into power by promising to help the ordinary man weather the rise in the cost of living and stagnant economy. Prices have not gone down and wages are the same.

Additionally, the lack of effort by PH to communicate its efforts to the public has caused disillusionment among many who voted for it, especially youths.

PH should focus on core issues that moved the needle in its favour last year.