PKR not helping PH by staying mum on working with others, says analyst

 

Anwar Ibrahim (left) has kept PH supporters waiting, while Mohamad Sabu and Lim Guan Eng have slammed the door on working with Bersatu and PAS. (Twitter pic)

PETALING JAYA: PKR’s failure to state its position on cooperation with Bersatu could lead to a perception of disunity within Pakatan Harapan (PH), says an analyst.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) associate professor Anantha Raman Govindasamy said there was a growing feeling among PH supporters that the coalition cannot take a united stand on major political issues pertaining to elections.

He said DAP and Amanah had made the right move in shutting the door on Bersatu and PAS as it showed they wanted to protect integrity in Malaysian politics.

A decision by PKR to work with Bersatu, he said, would lead to a drop in support for PH.

Both DAP and Amanah cited the involvement of Bersatu and PAS in the Sheraton Move that led to the downfall of the PH government in 2020.

Anantha was commenting on PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail’s remarks that the party was open to working with non-PH parties.

Saifuddin has since clarified that he was not referring to Bersatu “specifically”, though Sabah PKR Youth information chief Razeef Rakimin has called on him to close the door permanently on the idea.

Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said in theory, PKR could yield some of its seats to Bersatu in the upcoming general election to facilitate some level of political cooperation.

“With this, PH can still be intact even with PKR working with Bersatu,” he told FMT.

“Also, PKR must have determined that their supporters are not totally against the idea, so they can afford to toy with the idea a bit longer.”

Oh believed PKR was doing some “soul-searching” after a chain of “spectacular” electoral defeats, and was not ruling out the possibility of cooperation with Bersatu and PAS. - FMT