Pejuang faces wipeout without forming alliances, say analysts

 

Pejuang chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad said on Thursday the party will not join a ‘big tent’ with Pakatan Haparan or Perikatan Nasional in GE15.

PETALING JAYA: Analysts say Pejuang will meet a fate similar to what it suffered in the recent Johor state election when it contests in the next general election – a wipeout.

They said it can only be averted if the party does not shut the door on forming alliances.

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said it was too soon for Pejuang to close the door on Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) because the party was not well-established, and especially not after its devastating loss in the Johor polls.

“The party doesn’t have the budget, membership or election machinery to face GE15 alone. It does not stand a chance,” he said, adding, however, that it could win in Kedah if it concentrated its efforts there.

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“If Dr Mahathir Mohamad does not collaborate with PH, he should form alliances with other parties such as Muda or Warisan in GE15,” he said

On Thursday, Mahathir, the Pejuang chairman, said the party had closed the door on discussions with PH and PN over the “big tent” approach for GE15.

He said this was due to differing views among the various parties and the lack of clarity regarding public support for these parties.

James Chin of the University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute said nobody took Pejuang seriously after its “disastrous” performance in Johor. He said the party would perform just as badly in GE15.

“It doesn’t matter what Pejuang says about the big tent approach. It will be completely wiped out in GE15,” Chin told FMT.

He also said it was strange for Mahathir to harp on the fact that joining forces with PH would alienate the Malays because of DAP.

“Pejuang is a small party. Their strategy should be to form more alliances, but all he is doing is showing that he is an ultra-Malay nationalist,” he said.

Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs believes that the prospect of Pejuang collaborating with PH and PN was not completely off the table yet.

He said Mahathir was just “posturing” by “closing the door” on PH and PN, but if both coalitions were to accede to making him the leader, the Langkawi MP would consider collaborating with them. - FMT