KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — Rivals-turned-allies Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) should not be overambitious by trying to campaign for each other in six impending state elections, according to political analysts.
As grassroots supporters of both coalitions have not embraced the partnership in the national unity government formed after the 15th general election, pushing them to back previously-fierce rivals could backfire, they said.
PH and BN will enter the state elections for Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu as partners for the first time, after being direct rivals up until GE15 last November.
Assistant Professor of Political Science at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Syaza Shukri said although the two must highlight the importance of their alliance for national stability, they should still stand apart in the state elections.
“I think the best strategy is for them to campaign on their own, however, they have to make it clear that the parties stand together under the unity government. I said so because the grassroots may not be too comfortable, like in your example, if DAP comes out campaigning for Umno and vice versa.
“They have their strong voter base, they just need to campaign to get them out to vote. But they have to mention the unity government because they need to portray to the people that voting for them means voting for stability and strength in numbers. That cannot be avoided,” she said.
Universiti Malaya Centre for Democracy and Elections (UMcedel) sociopolitical analyst Associate Professor Awang Azman Awang Pawi also believed the coalitions should campaign individually for best effect.
However, he said the two must still discuss their strategies and messaging, especially on controversial topics where they could be vulnerable to their opponents in Perikatan Nasional (PN).
This would avoid the two coalitions and their other partners from crossing signals while campaigning, he said.
Last month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s national unity government confirmed it withdrew the appeal of a court ruling over the use of “Allah,” the Arabic word for God, in Christian publications.
The appeal was initiated in 2021 by the government of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the head of PN that is now the federal Opposition, which is expected to turn the controversy into campaign fodder.
“The best strategy and priority is for each party to continuously campaign for their own party to convince their voters to vote for the unity bloc,” Awang Azman said.
“At the same time, other party leaders can and should provide clarification on aspects that require a more detailed explanation when involving complicated or controversial issues.”
Still, he said both PH and BN must work on convincing their grassroots about their alliance, as doing so would be vital even after the state elections.
According to Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun, it would also be critical for the two coalitions to avoid attacking one another, either intentionally or out of old habits.
However, he said this would take a “miracle” to prevent, as their partnership was not universally accepted in the coalitions and there were elements within each that did not want it to last.
“In all political parties and coalitions, the most intense power struggles are not external, but internal in nature, as various ambitious players would like to plant their stakes within the party or coalition,” Oh said.
“This includes undermining the relative positions of one another, for example, by making certain rival candidates from the same party or other component parties lose their seats to the other side, such that the political future of the rival comrades could be cut short.”
Previously, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said he and his counterparts Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu have tentatively agreed to seek the dissolution of their state assemblies at the end of June, for elections to be held in July or early August.
The six must hold their state elections this year as they did not do so when GE15 was held last November.
In GE15, the parties in PH and BN set aside decades-old enmity and formed a national unity government, thwarting PN from gaining federal power.
