You can’t go at it alone, analyst tells Opposition

If the votes PKR and DAP got in Sarawak were combined, there are some seats they could have won and some they could have lost by a smaller margin.

KUCHING: The Opposition could have done much better and won more seats in the Sarawak election if only they had compromised.

It was a lesson for them to take heed of the often-quoted maxim: “United we stand, divided we fall.”

Having won only 10 out of the 82 seats for grabs in the recently-concluded Sarawak election, it is high time the Opposition coalition realise that in politics, it is better to have an alliance, said political analyst Dr Jeniri Amir.

“It was possible for them to win more seats if they had only compromised.

“If you combine the votes PKR and DAP obtained, there are some areas they could’ve won, and some where they would have only lost by a small margin.

“It’s a good lesson for both sides. They cannot go alone if they want to win the seats. After all, the strength of DAP is in urban areas while for PKR it is in the rural areas.

“And it’s a big lesson for them not to be too greedy,” the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak senior lecturer told FMT.

He then warned of a similar outcome should the Opposition fail to learn the art of compromise in the next general election as it is the only way forward for any political party in Malaysia.

He added that just because the Opposition’s Sarawak chapter couldn’t work things out this time around, it didn’t mean they should now go their own way.

“A good marriage means you have to try to solve the problem instead of looking for a way out. If they respect the alliance, and are sincere about it, then they can start moving forward.

“But they need to first realise that the basic principles in any alliance is compromise. Without it, the alliance becomes meaningless.”

The Opposition, in the run-up to the May 7 Sarawak election, had argued over seat allocations, with PKR turning its back on an agreement signed by Deputy President Azmin Ali and DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng.

This saw the party fielding candidates in five seats initially promised to DAP which, in retaliation, made a last-minute decision to contest in PKR’s Batu Kitang. Batu Kitang was later won BN,

The majority of those FMT spoke to prior to the election said that the feud had caused them to question the Opposition’s ability to work together should they be elected to the state assembly.

The Opposition, however, has refused to admit that the feud did play a part in their loss, opting instead to point their fingers at other factors, including allegations of vote buying by BN.