BN NOW A WALKING CORPSE – RIPE FOR TAKEOVER BY HADI’S PAS: FORGET RECOVERY, ZOMBIE STATUS THE NEXT LEVEL FOR ONCE-MIGHTY UMNO

PETALING JAYA – It will be a gargantuan task for Barisan Nasional (BN) to pull itself out of the muddle it is currently in, following the exit of its Sarawak component parties today.

Political analyst Assoc Prof Dr Jeniri Amir said he does not see the opposition coalition recovering any time soon from what is its roughest patch since its formation in 1973, especially if Pakatan Harapan keeps true to its promises in its election manifesto.

“No, I don’t see BN recovering in the near future. It will not be easy for them to get back all those seats they lost in the coming elections.

“If PH performs well enough, then it will be extremely difficult for BN to come back like the old days. It will be very tough,” he told theSun today.

BN had won 19 of the 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak, and a total of 79 seats nationwide, in the 14th General Election, meaning the Sarawak component parties’ exit would leave BN with only 60 seats.

Jeniri said the decision to quit BN was appropriate and would only serve the parties well, claiming the coalition has been perceived by many as “very toxic and unsellable” following its heavy loss in the elections.

“This is more of a move for political survival in view of the coming state elections. If the parties still remain with BN, they know they will face lots of problems.

“I am sure they had asked themselves which was more important, whether to stick with BN and lose more seats or detach and reform. And I feel this is the way forward,” he said.

Another analyst, Prof Datuk Dr Mohammad Agus Yusoff, in agreeing with Jeniri, said the Sarawak parties would be “going nowhere” if they had stayed in BN.

Likening BN to a patient in the “intensive care unit”, he said he does not foresee the pact making a comeback in the near future, unless it could prove to the rakyat it has the potential to be a formidable opposition in Parliament.

“If Umno still rides on issues such as religion, Malay rights and other matters I would describe it as being history, then they are going nowhere.

“Malaysians are already moving forward, discussing more pressing matters like the economy and transparency in the government. BN has lost badly in the last election, and if it still behaves the same, it will never go far,” he said.

Meanwhile, Parti Pribumi Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is looking forward to working with the newly formed coalition for both national and state interests in accordance with the Federal Constitution and Malaysia Agreement.

“It is hoped that such cooperation between the coalition and the Federal Government in implementing government policies and development programmes in Sarawak will benefit the rakyat,” he said in a statement.

Separately, first term Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil said this latest development is a clear indication of the complete failure by BN as a coalition.

“Though it is the right of any political party to leave or join a coalition, such a move must ultimately benefit the people and in this term benefit Sarawakians,” he said when contacted.

– http://www.thesundaily.my