Time to look ahead

A COUP has been averted but it will take some time before the dust fully settles.

It will be unwise of us to assume that we’re back to status quo, never mind that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is still at the helm, albeit on an interim basis now.

A lot of damage has been done over two days of what we can only assume to have been a lot of horse trading, promises made and deals cut, only to no avail for those involved.

For a start, Pakatan Harapan (PH) as a coalition is broken. Not just the rebellious 11 from PKR but also a very important component party – Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) – have chosen to leave.

The departure of former PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and his 10 cohorts has weakened the coalition but it could still have governed.

On the other hand, also losing

PPBM means that PH no longer has the simple majority any party or coalition needs to stay in government. Even with the support of Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) and United Progressive People of Kinabalu Organisation (Upko), the coalition can count on having only 102 seats in Parliament, 10 short of the magic number that will give them a simple majority.

For now, all indications are that PPBM will continue to work with the coalition, just like Warisan and Upko have been doing since power changed hands on May 9, 2018.

It goes without saying that the people’s confidence in the system has also been badly shaken.

For good or bad, they had given their mandate to a ragtag alliance of four parties that did not even get to use a common symbol when they went to the polls in 2018. That trust has to be restored quickly.

Apart from that, a lot of work lies ahead. Mahathir is due to introduce a stimulus package tomorrow to help arrest the economic decline brought on by the novel coronavirus (Covid19) global pandemic.

This should not be postponed for any reason.

Every step must be taken to restore the political stability that we have enjoyed since independence.

Who will be the next PM and when he takes over should be the least of our concerns, at least for now.