‘Harapan’s hope is in Sg Buloh, not Gua Musang or Pagoh’

The source of Pakatan Harapan’s leadership springs from Sungai Buloh prison, not from Gua Musang or Pagoh as some have speculated, says a senior leader from the pact.

Amanah president Mohamad Sabu said this as his party, together with DAP, reiterated their support for jailed PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim as Harapan's PM hopeful.

“Amanah agrees that our (Harapan’s) main leader will be the one who is currently in Sungai Buloh prison. We are not looking for another candidate, whether from Gua Musang or Pagoh,” said the former PAS leader, who is more popularly known as Mat Sabu.

While he did not mention names, it appears that Mat Sabu is dismissing speculation that Harapan will seek for leadership hopefuls from estranged Umno leaders as they ally with disgruntled ruling party elected representatives.

The speculations most notably named Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and side-lined former DPM, Pagoh parliamentarian Muhyiddin Yassin, as possible candidates.

In Anwar’s shadow

Harapan's continued insistence that Anwar is their PM-designate, however, may contradict what Anwar himself had advised them to do.

At the nascent pact’s first high-level leadership meeting in Shah Alam today, PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had related that her incarcerated husband wants Harapan to learn from the mistakes of the past.

The opposition coalition’s predecessor, Pakatan Rakyat, had often been criticised for both its wavy ‘agree to disagree’ stand on key issues, as well as its over reliance on Anwar.

But while they have shifted their stand to 'agree or get kicked out' as announced this morning, Pakatan Harapan has yet to move out of Anwar’s shadow.

The opposition may argue that if they take over Putrajaya, they will immediately be able to secure a royal pardon and free Anwar, before getting another one of their elected representatives to step aside for him to contest for re-election.

Wan Azizah is standing in for Anwar as opposition leader, and would probably be the interim prime minister before her husband comes in.

However, her leadership skills are questionable and in the past, there have been instances where even DAP acted on its own without going through her.

This includes Lim Kit Siang’s pronouncement of Pakatan Rakyat’s death, and DAP’s own shadow cabinet which was formed without PKR or PAS.

So without someone as commanding as Anwar, Harapan is effectively leaderless and is being led by committee, lacking the facility of a uniting leader who can immediately put his or her foot down to settle disagreements.

Leadership vacuum

This leaves them vulnerable to fights that could tear them apart.

Truly, that self-same lack of a commanding leadership was what happened to Pakatan Rakyat as it struggled to exist without Anwar, and which ultimately led to its downfall.

While their loyalty to Anwar may be commendable, to truly follow his advice and learn from past mistakes, Wan Azizah must either shape up or Harapan must find someone to lead them in Anwar’s stead.

Only when this happens, can they in time move out of Anwar’s shadow, and present an unshakeable coalition that can stand on its own. -Mkini