Pakatan Harapan's decision to choose Dr Mahathir Mohamad as their candidate for prime minister will help the coalition draw Malay support, while alienating those loyal to PAS, said several analysts.
Although it is difficult to estimate the number of PAS supporters in peninsular Malaysia, the party wields significant influence on the Malay electorate, as shown during the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections, in which the party bagged 21 percent and 25 percent of the vote respectively in three-way fights.
Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who leads prominent think-tank Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas), believes that Mahathir will open new doors for Harapan among the Malay electorate, but close old doors as well.
"Mahathir has unnecessarily turned PAS into a staunch enemy by attacking (president) Abdul Hadi Awang.
"This is a mistake because if Harapan wants to be really strong, they need PAS, too," he said.
Similarly, Ibrahim Suffian, who leads independent pollsters Merdeka Centre, said Mahathir has a negative image among religious conservatives, particularly amongst PAS.
"This may make it harder for Harapan to persuade this critical segment of voters to come over to their side since it (Harapan) will be engaged in a three-way electoral contest against BN as well as PAS.
"If Mahathir and his team can adopt a pragmatic approach towards convincing undecided and non-Harapan opposition-leaning voters, Harapan might be able to spring a surprise," said Ibrahim.
Harapan formally announced Mahathir as their candidate for premiership yesterday and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as his running mate.
Mahathir, who has been feuding with PAS for several decades, has accused the Islamic party of cozying up to Umno in recent years.
He also accused PAS of attempting to split the opposition vote by refusing to join Harapan and going into the next general election alone.
His latest salvo involved arguing that Hadi was a kafir (infidel), because the latter was now joining forces with Umno which he (Hadi) declared as kafir in the infamous "Amanat Hadi" speech of 1981.
Dr M has more pull
However, having Mahathir at the helm of Harapan would help the coalition shed its image as a DAP-dominated, and hence Chinese-dominated, coalition.
"The real advantage is that Mahathir can help (the coalition win) Malay votes,” said Wan Saiful.
"I would say that Mahathir can potentially be a stronger pull than PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim," he said.
Ibrahim said Mahathir was in good stead with the civil service and many rural voters.
"His tough and persistent personality will present a challenge for BN to contend with, as any attack on the former prime minister always has the potential to become a bit of an overkill and lead to sympathy," he said.
Political analyst Khoo Kay Peng said although Mahathir carries baggage, he also carried with him a lot of experience in governance which Harapan will use to their advantage.
"His experience will be an asset. He may not have the impact Anwar had in 2008, but he has a strong resolve to get what he wants," said Khoo.
Wan Saiful and Ibrahim both expect internal grumblings within Harapan over Mahathir's candidacy, but opined the coalition's members and supporters will eventually come around.
"Overall, I expect this (announcement) will unite them more," said Wan Saiful.
Ibrahim pointed out that if component party leaders could accept Mahathir, it is likely that party supporters will follow suit.- Mkini
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