KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 — PKR and DAP cannot depend solely on fledgling Parti Amanah Negara to garner Malay votes in the next general elections, and must include PAS as well should a new opposition coalition be formed to replace Pakatan Rakyat (PR), analysts said.
Despite that, the political analysts said such a new coalition would require a written agreement signed by PAS to exclude the controversial hudud from its common framework, in order for it to be a viable opponent to ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN).
“If there is a new common policy framework, every agreement, even one to ‘agree to disagree’ should be put on paper, so that everything is clearly spelled out,” Wan Saiful Wan Jan, the chief executive for think-tank Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, told Malay Mail Online.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Dr Faisal Hazis said PR was “on the right track” with the common manifesto called Buku Jingga, but “petty” internal politics and personal agenda that overshadowed common interests had brought its downfall.
“If they want a genuine coalition, a working and sustainable solution, they definitely need to take down the hudud and the Islamic state agenda once and for all. It’s the only way to move forward.
“If they can’t resolve that, they need to put in some written document. Maybe a coalition constitution for every party to sign,” said the associate professor.
After years of butting heads over issues such as hudud, PAS severed ties with DAP in its annual congress, or muktamar in June, leading to PKR announcing that the three-party coalition is dead.
PAS had previously said it was ready to go it alone if excluded from the new pact, but deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has since said that the party is still undecided on joining such a coalition after a meet with PKR yesterday.
“If you talk about getting maximum votes out of the electorates, like it or not they need PAS… [Amanah] is such a new party. Maybe minus a few seasoned leaders, apart from that they don’t have an advantage,” said Faisal.
Faisal said it is almost certain that Amanah will be out-muscled in a possible three-cornered fight involving itself, Umno and PAS.
“Despite the ‘gung-ho-ness’ of DAP, the reality is without PAS [the new coalition] can hardly go anywhere. Come the general election they will need to work together,” said Wan Saiful.
Wan Saiful said the new coalition would need both PAS and Amanah as they cater to different demographics, but independent pollster Ibrahim Suffian said the former is the more well-known “brand” among the Malay community.
“PAS has many followers and is the natural competitor for Umno, and remains the natural receptacle for protest votes against the ruling party among Malays.
“A new party like Amanah will face an uphill task trying to supplant PAS in a short period of time,” suggested Ibrahim, the executive director of the Merdeka Centre.
Ibrahim said it will take some time for Malay voters to reassess and change their party preference, as that would normally only happen after what he called “groundbreaking cathartic events” such as the sacking of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from Umno in 1998.
Parliament will commence its next meeting in October to debate the budget for next year, amid calls for a no-confidence vote to be tabled against scandal-ridden Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
