Opposition Unity?

We get a lot of flak for not being united enough to face BN.

This is a fair comment, but I hope Malaysians who feel this way base their opinion an equally fair and comprehensive appraisal of the situation instead of preconceived notions.

Clearly, we are not at the stage where some (though less than may be popularly believed, according to polling) would like us to be – say, contesting under one banner.

This doesn’t mean that it is impossible or will never happen, just that it hasn’t happened yet. It may not happen tomorrow, but it may happen sooner than you think.

I think that after the initial ’99 euphoria and subsequent ’04 crash, the opposition has come a long way in uniting for a better Malaysia.

When was the last time you heard Pas talk about an Islamic state?

Did KeADILan and DAP not come to a hard-won compromise over Penang?

I was close enough to bear witness to some of the difficulties involved in securing the latter. I hope people will come to see just how hard all of us had to work in order to achieve this agreement.

Don’t forget the different historical context each of these parties and the different ways their interests have evolved.

There are some in each party who would go so far as to propose mergers – a view I am sympathetic to. But there are also some to whom the very thought is an anathema and would virulently resist it to the last.

You may not like such people. Heck, I don’t like such people. But they’re up there in positions of power in their parties. So we have to make do the best we can with them until perhaps one day they might be replaced with differently minded individuals.

All this said, I really hope people won’t discount the progress we’ve made. KeADILan always plays a tough balancing and moderating act to play, but we’ve had our successes.

Take for instance, how YB Lim Kit Siang published a letter describing the benefits of being a Chinese living in Kelantan.

It may not have seemed like much, but for those of us in the business, this is a rare, brave and magnanimous gesture by YB Lim.

The opposition is well aware that it always has to do more to win the trust of more. But it’s a challenge we’re not shying away from, despite the stacked decks we’re playing with.

I just hope where unity is concerned, people will take a full view of things without preconceived venom and appreciate our victories (like Penang), no matter how small.