Kedah DAP must look at the bigger picture - SK

By Gooi Hsiao Leung

The announcement by Kedah DAP to leave the Pakatan Rakyat coalition in Kedah is most regrettable.

I do empathize with the plight of the 28 operators who are left without a place to carry on their trade, however the DAP call to leave Pakatan was made irrationally and impulsively without taking into account the larger national consideration of Pakatan’s political struggle.

It is well within any party’s right to protest, or oppose or even condemn the Alor Setar’s Municipal Council’s decision to tear down the abattoir, however the DAP Kedah must not be carried away emotionally by making calls to quit Pakatan over this issue.

The abattoir issue is purely a licensing issue and a local municipal problem, and the Kedah DAP should not turn this into a national issue, jeopardizing the national coalition between PAS, PKR and DAP. I am certain this municipal problem could have been resolved amicably through other channels.

Pakatan has a duty to minimise disagreements and to stay united

Kedah DAP must realize that the call to quit PR will upset the national mood for real change brought about by 308.

Kedah DAP must realize all major policy changes we have witnessed of late, from the introduction a new PSD scholarship to be based solely on merit, and the abolishment of the 30% quota for companies seeking public listing are all a direct result of the 2008 general elections.

Kedah DAP is hitting the wrong target by making the drastic call to quit Pakatan. It had taken a lot, and in some ways, a miracle for the PAS, PKR and DAP to come together and forge a united front to face Barisan Nasional.

The alliance is bound to face tribulations and disagreements, however it is our duty to minimize such problems and to ensure that the coalition remains united.

I am sure not one of the 308 supporters, who voted for national change will agree with Kedah DAP’s call to quit Pakatan over the municipal problem in Kedah.

We owe a duty to each and every voter who voted for the opposition, and who were fed up with MCA and Gerakan’s inability to effectively represent them, not to disrupt the current political direction our country is moving towards.

[Gooi Hsiao Leung is a lawyer by training. He is also the PKR Kedah deputy youth chief and a member of the state committee]

SK