Checks and balances working

The likes of people like Ambiga will keep Dr M in check. 

Some people are sounding alarm bells already about the lack of a credible opposition. And what we have currently is a non-credible opposition.

PAS, with 18 MPs is simply too small and BN despite having 78 MPs will be useless as an opposition bloc (if it couldn't even do a good job as the government what chance will it have as the opposition?).

But, as I have pointed out earlier, the lack of a credible opposition doesn't necessarily mean there won't be any checks and balances. The power structure within Pakatan is such that it will be able to provide internal checks and balances.

So far, it's been working.

After Dr M prevaricated on whether or not Pakatan will repeal the Anti-Fake News Act 2018, DAP's Guan Eng came out to say:

"The Harapan position has always been to abolish the Anti-Fake News Act. I will clarify with him (Mahathir) when I see him tomorrow, but I believe his position is still the same. As far as we are concerned, Harapan's position remains the same. We cannot accept that the government – even though we are the government now – determines what is true or false."

For good measure, Ambiga, a member of the newly set-up Committee on Institutional Reform, has said it will prioritize the abolishment of the Anti-Fake News Act 2018.

"Let me tell you my position. The Anti-Fake News Act has to be repealed in total. We know the circumstances in which the act was passed [...] there is no reason to have a fake news and anti-fake news act. I think, once the relevant committee has been set up to review the existing laws that have to be repealed, then the Anti-Fake News Act would probably be the first on the list."

Will Dr M be tempted to retain the Anti-Fake News Act? Frankly, it does sounds like the kind of weapon he would like to yield against his detractors. And his comments about whether to repeal it or amend it was vague at best. This is disappointing but nothing to be concerned about. The others won't let him keep it even if he wanted to.

This is not the 1980s or 1990s when Mahathir ruled Malaysia with an iron fist. Back then he was head of a party that was the lynchpin of a coalition with a 2/3rds majority in parliament. Right now he is the leader of a party that has less than half the number of seats as PKR (47) and DAP (42) each have got on their own (Bersatu has got 13, which is pretty close to Amanah's 11). Even if you don't count Warisan (with its 8 seats), PKR, DAP and Amanah alone has got 100 seats.

In another development, at the state level, Perak DAP was justifiably upset that Perak Bersatu had taken in former Behrang assemblyman Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, the frog who jumped from PKR to BN in 2009 (and thus causing the Pakatan downfall in that state).

Perak MB Ahmad Faizal Azumu has since issued a statement on this:

"... after taking into account all the information and reasons, I would like to inform all that his application to join Bersatu has been rejected, sans discussion. This decision was made upon the principle that every entry into Harapan, especially in Perak, will be made based on strict consideration to ensure there will not be a repeat of the rakyat’s suffering."

Checks and balances are happening, folks.