GEORGE TOWN: A collective Malaysian spirit of understanding and cooperation seems to be the pressing imperative now, a senior DAP lawmaker said.
According to Dr P. Ramasamy, if Umno and DAP can sink their differences to come together, it is certainly an indicator that things are working well for the unity government.
The Penang Deputy Chief Minister II said the coming together of these parties was an indication that moderate politics in the larger interest of the nation was the best formula for the future.
"Politics based on race and religion might be beneficial for short term political interests, but unsustainable and dangerous for a country has that different races and religions.
"The sinking of differences between Umno and DAP leadership might be difficult to accept at the grassroots levels.
"Years of hostility cannot be wiped out in matter of few months, but an important start has been made.
"It is just a matter of time before such friendship is accepted at all levels," he said in his latest Facebook entry.
Politics, Ramasamy said, was the art of impossibility and possibility.
He said what was thought of as impossible or unthinkable could become possible under different political circumstances.
"This is nowhere more true in the case of the relationship between Umno in Barisan Nasional (BN) and DAP in Pakatan Harapan (PH).
"Just a few months ago, nobody would have thought that the two parties would smoke the pipe of peace to engage in electoral collaboration.
"All this was made possible by Umno's loss of Malay support in the last federal elections in November last year. It was Umno's loss of Malay support that gravitated the leadership to support the PH coalition under the leadership of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who subsequently became the prime minister.
"Umno's support, coupled with the support of the coalitions in Sabah and Sarawak, propelled the formation of the unity government with the PH coalition. The formation of the unity government made it possible for Umno and DAP not only to cease their earlier years of enmity but to think of future cooperation and collaboration," he added.
As it is, according to Ramasamy, the years of hostility between both the parties have somewhat ceased to the extent of both working out strategies to enable the unity government to win in the state elections scheduled in June or July this year.
Elaborating, he said Umno's loss of Malay support to Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the last general elections was the key.
He noted that without the necessary Malay support, the party became weak and rudderless.
"It was in this context, the party opted to join the government of Anwar.
"Joining the PH coalition was certainly a lesser evil for Umno rather than having a Faustian pact with PN.
"The formation of the unity government was an excellent opportunity for Anwar to bring in the strange and contentious bedfellows under one broad umbrella.
"The unity government's excellent performance in the last few months have provided a conducive opportunity for parties such as Umno and DAP to come together," he said, adding that in the last few weeks or so, PH had engaged with Umno to discuss electoral strategies and how best they could work together to win in the state elections.
Ramasamy stressed that cooperation between PH, and DAP in particular, was seen as an appropriate measure to reduce extreme ethnic and religious politics in the country.
"However, the presence of PN might mitigate such an effort.
"Without the twin pillars of race and religion, PN might be rendered irrelevant," he said.
