Former mentor-protégé duo Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim are ideal partners for one last tango as they need each other to, once again, defeat BN in the upcoming 15th general election (GE15), according to political analysts.
However, another political observer is of the opinion that the 97-year-old maverick would only be a liability to Pakatan Harapan due to his fading influence.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, Universiti Utara Malaysia’s academic Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani said it would be prudent for the snippy rivals to bury the hatchet and reunite in order to bring down BN as well as Perikatan Nasional (PN).
Noting that Harapan is still able to garner Malay votes in urban seats but not so much from those in rural areas, Azizuddin said Mahathir could lend a helping hand.
“Mahathir still has influence in Malay rural areas and the elderly still wants him, he can get votes from these groups.
“The only thing left to do now is for them (Anwar and Mahathir) to come together to compromise on a strategy, among other things,” he told Malaysiakini.
Unclear what’s brewing in the begrudging allies’ minds, the political analyst said they would not enter the election as a coalition but possibly form a somewhat collaboration or agreement.
“They still have time, before nomination day.”
On Thursday, the Election Commission announced Nov 5 for nomination day and Nov 19 for polling.
A day after the EC’s announcement, Mahathir extended an olive branch to the Harapan chairperson to explore the possibility of forming a political pact.
Anwar, in return, said he has no issue meeting with the coalition’s former boss and that Harapan’s emphasis was on fighting BN and PN.
However, Harapan’s secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the alliance is prepared to face the national polls without Mahathir and Pejuang.
Mahathir a ‘deadweight’?
Echoing Azizuddin, Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun said it would be wishful thinking for Harapan to believe they could make significant inroads into Malay vote banks without the help of the nonagenarian.
“They need Mahathir to, hopefully, pinch a few Malay votes. Although that might still not suffice, it’s better than nothing.
“Mahathir could not garner non-Malay votes anymore, so he needs Harapan too,” he said.
While stressing the importance of the symbiotic political relationship in vanquishing BN and PN, Oh foresees that Mahathir would still drag down Harapan’s non-Malay support.
“But since Harapan’s majorities in non-Malay seats in 2018 were so overwhelming, perhaps it can still scrap by to win most of their non-Malay seats and scoop a few more Malay-centric seats.
“Mahathir is a ‘deadweight’, but with a luring bait on the other end of the anchor.”
‘A liability to Harapan’
Sharing similar sentiments is Universiti Malaya academic Awang Azman Awang Pawi, who told Malaysiakini that the elder statesperson would only be a liability to the Harapan as he no longer possesses the influence he once held in the political arena.
Awang Azman opined that it is Mahathir who needs Anwar, not the other way around.
“He (Mahathir) can see that Harapan is a strong political bloc. Without Mahathir, Harapan is getting stronger.
“Anwar does not need Mahathir, but it is Mahathir who needs Anwar.
“Without Mahathir in the picture, whether Harapan wins or loses, they would do it with pride and dignity.”
Should Anwar and Mahathir form a pact, the sociopolitical analyst strongly believes that it would only be translated into an artificial collaboration.
“There’s no need for Anwar to join forces with Mahathir. I am concerned that Mahathir would lie to Anwar again.”
Prior to the infamous Sheraton Move in 2020, which brought about the downfall of the Harapan administration, Mahathir was under pressure to fulfil a promise he had made when Harapan captured Putrajaya - to set a definite timeline for Anwar to succeed him as prime minister.
For the record, the relationship between the two prominent political figures has been tumultuous over the past decades.
Anwar had served as deputy prime minister and finance minister during Mahathir's first 22-year stint in office but was sacked in 1998 after falling out with Malaysia's "Old Man" over how to defend the economy against the Asian financial crisis.
Going into opposition, Anwar quickly drew support from a large section of Malay Muslims, the multi-cultural country's dominant ethnic group, to form the Reformasi movement, before being jailed a year later on corruption and sodomy charges that he said were politically motivated.
In the years following his release, Anwar rebuilt his following and came close to defeating former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, another Mahathir protege, in the disputed 2013 general election.
Two years later, Anwar was jailed, once again on sodomy charges that he denied.
He was released on a royal pardon soon after Najib lost power in the 2018 election. - Mkini
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