Too late for Muda to be Harapan component, says PKR vice-chief

 

Muda’s desire to join the Pakatan Harapan coalition continues to face resistance from PKR. 

Party’s vice-president Chang Lih Kang opined that it might be too late for Harapan to process Muda’s application to be a component party in the coalition. 

“To join as a component party, I don’t think it is timely because it requires some expectations. 

“In order to be part of the coalition, the existing component parties need to be convinced that the new party shares similar ideologies and values with Harapan,” he said in an interview with Malaysiakini and KiniTV . 

However, the Tanjung Malim MP said he was open to the possibility of the newly-formed Muda working with Harapan as an electoral partner to avoid multi-cornered fights.

He noted that the coalition favoured cooperating with Muda over other parties such as Warisan and Pejuang.

“It’s okay to cooperate (with Muda), only in what form?” he added.

Chang (above) said Harapan should focus more on matters related to the general election, such as seat negotiations, setting the narrative, election strategies and manifestos. 

However, he said the matter is up to the Harapan presidential council to make.

This comes after Muda president Saddiq Syed Syed Abdul Rahman’s sudden public announcement on Tuesday of wanting to join the coalition.

Concerns

While DAP and Amanah appeared to be receptive to the idea of accepting Muda into Harapan, several PKR leaders seemed unwilling. 

Chang told Malaysiakini that PKR’s resistance was caused by the previous Johor election when both PKR and Muda candidates clashed in Larkin.

“There are a lot of concerns. I think one of the main ones would be the repercussions from our grassroots because of the Johor state election. 

“They (Muda) three-cornered us (PKR) in Larkin and we tried very hard to refrain from three-cornering them in the Puteri Wangsa seat,” he said.

Meanwhile, previous cooperations with other parties have also led to PKR’s resistance, in particular when Bersatu contested under Harapan’s banner in 2018. 

Selayang MP William Leong told Malaysiakini concerns of the voting public also needed to be considered before accepting Muda. 

“Especially after our failed experiment in the last round (GE14) when we included Bersatu, whose ideology is different from ours.

“We look back at Muda and Syed Saddiq, it is difficult (for him) to shed his relationship with Mahathir. These are the things the public are looking at,” he said.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad (left) with Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, circa 2019

Syed Saddiq has been viewed by some as being too close to ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is widely mistrusted by the PKR rank and file.

This is due to the nonagenarian’s role in bringing down the Pakatan Harapan government in 2020, through the courting of PKR and Umno defectors as well as PAS support while trying to bypass the handover agreement with PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.

Muda leader Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was once Mahathir’s protege, following the former’s meteoric rise from a national debater to cabinet minister.

However, after the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government, the pair split to form their own parties – with Mahathir fronting yet another right-wing Malay rights party, Pejuang, while Syed Saddiq formed multiracial Muda. - Mkini