How PH can tie up with Bersatu despite leaders’ conflicting stands

 

A united front or a partial pact between Pakatan Harapan and Bersatu is possible to avoid clashes, says political scientist Wong Chin Huat.

PETALING JAYA: An analyst has sought to show how Pakatan Harapan and Bersatu can cooperate in the next general election without breaking up the opposition coalition.

Noting that PH’s member parties hold opposing views on working with Bersatu, political scientist Wong Chin Huat said political collaboration could come in the form of a united front or a pact to avoid contest clashes, or a partial pact aimed at minimising multi-cornered fights.

He told FMT it would be impossible for PH and Bersatu to forge a united front because of ideological differences, and difficult for them to make a solid pact because of animosity between PAS and Amanah and also between PKR and its former members now with Bersatu.

However, he said, a partial pact was possible.

Wong Chin Huat

“Bersatu, PKR and Amanah are keen on cooperation. They fear they would lose some marginal seats in GE15 and are willing to strike deals,” he said.

“If the talks are successful, we might see deals of partial arrangement. For example, Bersatu may avoid fights with Amanah and PKR – except for seats held by Azmin Ali’s gang – but still face DAP in some fixed seats.

“Meanwhile, PAS may strike a deal with PKR but still target Amanah’s seats.”

Asked if he thought PAS would separate with Bersatu over contrasting stands on working with PH, Wong spoke of the relationship under Perikatan Nasional as a “marriage of needs”, saying the tie-up had nothing to do with the Islamic party’s faith in former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who leads Bersatu.

“All PAS cares about is how it can protect its constituencies from multi-cornered fights and whether it can eliminate Amanah,” he said.

Recently, Muhyiddin said Bersatu was ready to cooperate with any party to ensure straight fights with Barisan Nasional in GE15.

This went against the stand of his PN colleague, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who said his party would never work with PH.

Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid.

In PH, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub have been supportive of keeping the door open to Bersatu, but DAP leaders like Loke Siew Fook and Lim Guan Eng have opposed this.

Another analyst, Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid of Universiti Sains Malaysia, told FMT he believed PN “might just break up” over Bersatu and PAS’ conflicting stand on working with PH and that PAS would look towards reviving its Muafakat Nasional pact with Umno.

He said Bersatu had probably realised that its only hope of continuing to hold some power was to have a relationship with PH.

“But PAS can’t bear the thought of being allies with DAP again, given the spite it has managed to ingrain in the Malays about DAP’s alleged anti-Malay bias,” he said.

“Bersatu members still have the Umno DNA in them. Without positions of power, Bersatu risks falling into oblivion.” - FMT