MONDAY IS A DAY OF RECKONING WHEN ALL MPs TAKE THEIR OATH

Monday is a day of reckoning as all elected representatives of the people who are called Members of Parliament take their oath before the King before the beginning of the 13^th Parliament session.

 

The swearing-in marks not just the beginning of the responsibility of an MP but more importantly is the recognition and acceptance of the 13^th general election result that voters returned the mandate to the ruling coalition of Barisan Nasional (BN).

 

PR leader who is Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) de facto chief Anwar Ibrahim had suggested, as impressed by PKR vice-president Tian Chua that all opposition MPs boycott the swearing-in because they did not recognize and accepted the general election result.

 

However, PKR’s partners DAP and PAS stood their ground to participate in the swearing-in and worse is PAS even openly said the party accepted the result of the general election.

 

PAS’s attitude has, since the general election been non-confrontational against the BN especially Umno which worries PKR while the DAP continue to be on its own.

 

PKR has continued its opposition against the general election result by holding rallies all over the country which PAS has openly disassociated itself.

 

DAP goes along with the rally and any other acts that Anwar does, so long as they are to express disagreement against the ruling coalition.

 

PKR, despite having more MPs compared to PAS has yet to have a base that the party can call truly call grassroots or loyal membership compared to PAS and DAP where the two parties have been set up some two to three decades ago.

 

It has supporters who are young, many intellectuals and aggressive who, in-line with the reason the party was set up, to see Anwar as the Prime Minister.

 

While DAP has no qualms about the Prime Minister issue, PAS has stuck to its stand that party president Abdul Hadi Awang be made Prime Minister.

 

In short, PAS has been the obstacle to Anwar’s credibility to become a Prime Minister material.

But the party has agreed to participate in the biggest rally on Saturday at the purported venue of Padang Merbok on condition, as the party Ulamak Council chief Dr Harun Taib said it would be peaceful and free of violence.

 

But Monday’s swearing-in will reflect – whether consciously or unconsciously – with whatever rallies or acts done or being planned against the ruling BN, that the oppositions accepted the result of the 13^th general election and  Najib Tun Abdul Razak as the Prime Minister of the people.

 

In short, it is an act of recognizing and acknowledging the victory of BN and as such, the Dewan Rakyat will be the legal platform for the oppositions to express their disagreement and allegations of fraud or cheats or whatever they want.

 

Thus, rallies are no longer needed to pump the message or voice agreements unless the oppositions headed by Anwar as the opposition chief plans something bigger than mere rallies.