Cooperating with PN ‘unacceptable’, says Harapan Youth chief

Amid renewed calls for a united opposition front against BN following the Johor state election, Pakatan Harapan youth chief Howard Lee said including Perikatan Nasional (PN) in such a coalition is infeasible.

Among other reasons, he noted that PN is still a part of the federal government alongside BN despite going against BN at last Saturday’s election.

“This thesis of a united opposition that includes PN holds no water until and unless PN withdraws from government, resigns all its ministerships, or gets kicked out by BN from their parliamentary support base,” he said.

He was responding to a joint statement by several Amanah youth division chiefs in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

‘A united opposition’

The group called for Harapan leaders to set aside their personal resentments and work with other parties, including PN, “for a larger tent of a united opposition to avoid recurrence of humiliation in the upcoming 15th general election”.

They also urged the coalition’s leadership to take responsibility for its poor showing at the polls and attributed the outcome to a lack of serious effort to negotiate an electoral pact.

“Two different logos in an election from one coalition is utterly unacceptable. No serious attempt at discussing any pact with other opposition parties is also intolerable.

“Numerically, one-to-one fights in all or most constituencies will provide a much different result,” they said.

The statement was co-signed by Amanah divisional youth chiefs Zulhafiz Zulkifli (Lembah Pantai), Hafizzuddin Razian (Kepong), Mohd Nur Fadhil (Bandar Tun Razak), Sheikh Khuzaifah (Bukit Bintang), Haripra Lazuardi (Batu), and Raza Haziq (Cheras).

Meanwhile, Lee questioned whether Amanah - which is a PAS splinter party - would be able to work with PAS that is under the PN coalition, and whether such an alliance born out of expedience would further demotivate Harapan’s support base.

He also refuted the claim that no serious attempt had been made to negotiate an electoral pact with other opposition parties.

“The fact of the matter was that multiple and repeated yet unfruitful attempts were indeed made to discuss with other opposition parties.

“Such efforts were discussed and outcomes reported to the PH presidential council where all Youth Wing chiefs are sitting members,” he said.

Lee’s statement is reproduced in full below:

I take full cognisance of the stern views of Amanah Youth chiefs of Lembah Pantai, Bandar Tun Razak, Batu, Bukit Bintang, Cheras & Kepong aired on the back of Johor BN’s electoral success. Though it is unclear at whom the grouses are targeted, in the spirit of their call to lead by taking responsibility, I take it upon myself as the PH Youth chief - albeit outgoing- to provide some clarifications and answers.

I accept the premise on which their calls are made for responsibility to be taken. I also agree that multiple logos used by the same coalition may have been a contributory factor towards the disappointing outcome we suffered. The decisions taken and agreed - however mistaken it may be with the benefit of hindsight - were agreed by all parties’ leadership at the presidential council. So I respectfully suggest that calls for responsibility to be taken and the rolling of heads to be taken back to their own party.

However, I must clarify and rebut the inaccurate and presumptuous allegation that ‘no serious effort’ was undertaken to discuss an electoral pact. The fact of the matter was that multiple and repeated yet unfruitful attempts were indeed made to discuss with other opposition parties. Such efforts were discussed in and outcomes reported to the PH presidential council where all Youth Wing chiefs are sitting members.

On the matter of leadership line-up; individual component parties have the absolute right to keep or change their representatives at the Harapan presidential council. But the presidential council will not interfere with component parties on which individual leaders are appointed into the presidential council. So, I urge my Amanah youth comrades to ensure their views are channelled to their party leadership if they feel the need to change their leadership line-up.

I welcome unreservedly the call for pragmatism and to set aside resentment to unite all like-minded parties. However, including Perikatan Nasional in that category as ‘a larger tent of a united opposition’ is arguably as intolerable and unacceptable. This is neither dogmatic nor resentful, but a matter of congruence of objectives and alignment of governance agenda. Harapan and PN are not, and is unlikely to become like minded. Below are five points I would like to raise pertaining to PN:

First and foremost- in the context of our preparation for the next General election, PN is not an opposition party but a party in government, lest my beloved Amanah Youth comrades has forgotten PN’s betrayal of the electorate’s mandate. This thesis of a united opposition that includes PN holds no water until and unless PN withdraws from government, resigns all its ministerships, or gets kicked out by Barisan Nasional from their parliamentary support base.

Secondly, even if we were to explore any form of arrangement that is based purely on eliminating a common enemy, how certain are we that PN’s ‘divorce of convenience’ with Umno in the Malacca and Johor State elections is not as disingenuous as their ‘marriage of convenience’ that is still very much intact at the federal government?

Thirdly, is Amanah willing and able to enter into fruitful negotiations with PAS in a prospective electoral pact? Is PAS willing and able to even be on the same table as PAS under a ‘a larger tent of a united opposition’?

Fourthly, and at the risk of being accused of being dogmatic and inflexible, how do we reconcile our policy and ideological contradictions with the likes of PAS who is the backbone of PN’s ground machinery?

Fifthly, will the proposed alliance or pact born from expedience and convenience further demotivate PH’s existing support base? Worse still, could it send further conflicting and confusing signals to the electorate that is even worse than having multiple logos? Imagine not putting a candidate to contest against the architects of Langkah Sheraton PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin in Pagoh, or Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal in Tambun and asking our supporters to vote for them instead of Umno or BN. Is this what my Amanah Youth comrades are suggesting?

The Malacca and Johor state general elections indicate a resurgence of Umno/BN dominance of our electoral landscape. There is no denial of that. But the votes garnered by BN do not in any way show that a majority of Malaysians now support Umno/BN – far from it. To simplistically and haphazardly call for a tactical move that is unable to address the five points I raised above may send damaging signals to the electorate and our supporters.

Having said that, I understand the frustration vented. I must also make clear that I agree that we must be open to and be flexible in charting a path forward. I respect my Amanah Youth comrades’ suggestions which ought to be considered, but the tone of absolutism and compulsion accompanying their demands lack the flexibility they themselves are calling for.

I couldn’t agree more with their demand for a leadership to steer the country towards the correct direction, however I am not convinced that co-opting PN into PH’s plans will serve that purpose well. The Harapan presidential council has yesterday resolved that a leadership convention be convened as soon as possible to set our strategic objectives and tactical path moving forward. I will make it my personal responsibility to raise their demands – which I am sure will be discussed at length. - Mkini