PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan (PH) will face an uphill battle in the next general election if the ruling coalition does not pull up its socks and address its ongoing internal rift.
Political analyst Assoc Prof Dr Jeniri Amir said the infighting, which he described as bordering on crisis, could be of potent threat to the coalition’s stint as the federal government just one term into its reign.
“It can cause them the election, but it all depends on the political dynamics among the component parties between now and the next GE.
“How the opposition can collaborate and work together, and how they can manipulate and play up these issues that have been bugging PH since the May 9 election victory,” he told theSun yesterday.
Jeniri said for one, there have been obvious signs of cracks between Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s camp and that of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, especially following the recent mass exodus of Umno MPs.
He said while Anwar has been openly supporting Mahathir, the possibility of these Umno lawmakers joining the latter’s party PPBM has created a sense of uneasiness within the former’s camp.
“Something is not right in PH. We know PPBM is trying to enhance their position and increase their numbers in parliament, and in politics, numbers are very important. This possible move of accepting Umno leaders has not gone down well with some,” he said.
PH leaders have been in “loggerheads” following claims that PPBM, which currently only holds 16 parliamentary seats as opposed to PKR’s 50, is willing to welcome former Umno leaders into the party, with several leaders having already joined.
Jeniri said many ministers have also been under-performing, with a lot of nonsensical statements issued in the past months, piling more pressure on the top leadership.
On PPBM Youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s recent call for Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waythamoorthy to resign, Jeniri said it showed the former’s young age and inexperience in politics.
“With all due respect, he may be good in debates, but that does not mean he has the wisdom to be a good politician at this age.
“Being a minister is a huge task and you need wisdom, and this only comes with age and experience. Even for a brilliant debater like Syed Saddiq, this is a different ball game altogether,” he said.
Following Syed Saddiq’s statement, Penang Deputy Chief Minister P. Ramasamy has called for action to be taken against the former.
To this, Syed Saddiq said he was ready to face any consequences, claiming that he was simply speaking his mind on the issue and that he would not keep mum on important matters involving the country.
