Malaysians' hope of seeing the formation of a 2-party system in Malaysia may be
dashed if the barely one year old coalition called Pakatan Rakyat or People’s
Alliance disbanded due to crossing over to BN by elected assemblymen. From the
very beginning I had predicted this "marriage of convenience" among the 3
component parties will not last due to the following reasons: (1) The vast
differences of ideology between the component parties - PAS only wants to
establish an Islamic State, DAP champions for the Chinese community, PKR only
exists to fulfill Anwar Ibrahm's dream of becoming next Prime Minister of
Malaysia.Their only common denominator is the enmity towards Tun Dr Mahathir and
BN. (2)The combined pressure of administrating a state government and
maintaining smooth cooperation between member parties demands great tolerance
from the party leaders. (3)Their most fatal drawback is their lack of experience
of running a government because their are so used to criticize others instead of
doing the tasks themselves. It is easier said than done. They have been playing
the role of fire flamers for too long and find it difficult to play the role of
fire douser now. (4)They are beginners in state administrative protocol and
communication systems, many members are frustrated and want to leave the party
as a result of this. Let's hope leaders of Pakatan will face up to their short
comings and over come them in order to make it a reality for Malaysia to have a
2-party system.
