BN-PH infighting shows lack of common agenda, says analyst

 

While some members of his coalition partners were bickering, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was trying to build unity at his Hari Raya open house. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Recent public squabbles among coalition partners in Anwar Ibrahim’s government show the lack of a common agenda, and a failure to communicate, says a political analyst.

The parties were either not communicating with one another or had exhausted all means of reaching a compromise “so the only way left is to take the issues out in public”, said Azmil Tayeb of Universiti Sains Malaysia.

“It is also clear that the parties don’t rally around a common agenda that transcends the long-standing feuds and bitterness among them,” he said, referring to the bitter relationship between DAP and Umno and MCA.

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He believes Anwar should step in, but political scientist James Chin of the University of Tasmania said the best option would be for Anwar and other government leaders to refrain from making a public response.

“If the prime minister comments, it will just make the matter worse,” said Chin.

Leaders of Umno, DAP, Amanah and MCA have been involved in public spats lately, over topics ranging from Najib Razak’s application for a pardon, the cost of air fares during festive seasons, and an investigation into the aides of human resources minister V Sivakumar.

Earlier today, Amanah apologised to Umno for remarks made by its information chief regarding the Najib pardon application.

Azmil said the recent squabbles did no favours for a unity government trying to project a more united front.

However, some politicians might be “playing to their own gallery by engaging in these spats, simply to show that they are not beholden to the other party”, he said.

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Azmil said any exchange in the public sphere should have been policy-focused rather than rooted in personal attacks. “Healthy debates foster sound policymaking and transparency in the policymaking process.”

Chin said the exchanges and internal feuding were to be expected because Umno and DAP had been political enemies for almost 60 years before coming together as coalition partners to form the unity government last year.

“The people attacking DAP are the ones who didn’t side with (Umno president) Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, so for them to try to pull the government down is also to be expected,” he said. - FMT