THE Association for Welfare, Community and Dialogue (ACID) welcomes the right of Malaysians to dissent on particular issues that affect the country but the rationale for the upcoming ‘Turun Anwar’ rally on July 26 requires prudence among Malaysians.
There are various factors that needs to be taken into consideration before one supports a rally to oust a sitting prime minister who has a strong mandate in Parliament.
Mandate to rule
The current Government was the result of the general election in the year 2022.
Due to the fragmented nature of the mandate ,a unity government was rightly formed, and the designated Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim went a step further by calling a vote of confidence in Parliament for his administration.
He succeeded in Parliament and that brought about a modicum of political stability in the country.
This was unlike former premier Tan Sri Muhiyiddin Yassin who came up with the state of emergency to remain in power when he realised that it was impossible for him to win the vote of confidence in Parliament.
The fact is the main leaders for the impending rally are the same former premier and PAS leaders who supported the undemocratic state of emergency.
Can we trust such leaders to govern the country again?
Economic situation
Currently Malaysia as a trading nation is going through challenges with impending tariffs by the United States (US) which require constructive ideas among parliamentarians and civil society to ensure the nation’s survival.
We need opposition parties that are constructive in Parliament and to work with the government to generate creative solutions to navigate this challenging economic times that affects all Malaysians whatever their political leanings are.
To date the opposition parties are too busy with racial rhetoric or articulating the high cost of living without concrete ideas to address the root causes, besides not having any constructive opinions in navigating the tariff threat imposed by the US.
Any threat to political stability in the current context will affect investors’ confidence and pressure the ringgit, since there are no concrete alternatives if the unity government collapses.
Understanding the motives of opposition leaders
It is obvious that certain leaders of the opposition parties are facing corruption trials. In the Malaysian system, obtaining power is the way to escape from prosecutions.
These leaders are not really sincere in addressing the real problems facing Malaysians. If they were, the Parliament would have the best place to dissent and contribute.
The current motive is to get as many people in the street to force an unstable situation so that the prime minister could be toppled and a new government formed that would release these leaders from prosecution.
Therefore it is vital for Malaysians to be prudent and understand the motives behind the impending rally.
There are various issues related to judiciary, economy and unity that are not adequately addressed by the unity government.
Unfortunately we do not have opposition parties that are capable of offering a concrete alternative. They have even failed to come up with an alternative budget.
A street protest to undemocratically topple a government will ultimately affect the economy and it will bring further hardships to Malaysians.
The next general election is the best way to ensure capable leaders with integrity are part of parliament and governance. That said, a government should be toppled only if its oppressive and cause hardships to the people.
The unity government is imperfect but not extremely oppressive to be toppled. ‒ July 24, 2025
Ronald Benjamin is a human resources practitioner based in Ipoh. He is currently secretary of the Association for Community and Dialogue.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image: Harakahdaily
