KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — Detailed formal agreements and structures must be agreed upon for any multi-party coalition to be sustainable, a German political analyst said today.
Siegfried Herzog, who is regional director for the Southeast and East Asia Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, told a PKR forum here that it is crucial that opposition parties here agree to formalise their relationships in order to avoid future disagreements.
“You need a formal structure... to put things into a formal agreement.
“(There is) no coalition without a formal agreement... (it is not) easily sustainable,” the German analyst said.
"This is so that no one can pretend that something is in there (formal agreement) when it is not in there,” he added.
He also said managing communication between political parties was the second biggest hurdle to tackle after agreeing on the coalition's priorities.
PKR has repeatedly urged opposition parties that also include DAP, PAS and Amanah to cease hostilities and redirect their focus to the common enemy, Barisan Nasional (BN).
PKR and PAS were expected to discuss a new opposition coalition to replace the defunct Pakatan Rakyat, but PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said last week talks are still ongoing with no conclusion anytime soon.
PAS said earlier it will remain in the opposition bloc when Parliament reconvenes next month, but has not made a decision on joining a new pact with the other three parties.
The informal PR pact, comprising PKR, PAS and the DAP, broke up earlier this year over PAS’ renewed push to enforce hudud in Kelantan.
DAP has since insisted it will not join any coalition with PAS in it.
