SEPTEMBER 12 ― Following the collapse of Pakatan Rakyat in June, the opposition parties have to form a new alliance before the next general elections in order to fight Umno, because they know very well they won't get anywhere if they were to go solo.
Unfortunately the formation of a new Pakatan 2.0 is quite a challenge, thanks to the intriguing relationships among individual parties.
PKR wants PAS to remain in the new alliance but this is what DAP will never allow. At the same time, DAP welcomes the admission of Parti Amanah Negara which PAS is unwilling to accept.
The reason for PAS couldn't have been simpler, as Amanah is a splinter unit from the old Islamist party. These two parties are quite similar in their political directions and are targeting more or less the same group of voters. There is no way for PAS to accept Amanah into the fold to further erode its own position, not unlike the rejection of any other Indian political party into the Barisan Nasional coalition by the MIC.
DAP once came under tremendous impact from hudud controversies raised by PAS, and its chances will most positively be undermined if it were to continue embracing PAS through the next general elections. With the Chinese community now very obviously resisting PAS, it is impossible for DAP to take the risk all over again.
Embracing a more liberal Amanah fits DAP's aspirations much better.
Meanwhile, PKR needs the support of PAS to retain the Selangor administration and engage conservative Malay voters. Compared to both DAP and PAS, PKR has a relatively weak fundamental support base. In the absence of coordination from PAS, the party will have a hard time fighting BN, and even PAS itself, in predominantly Malay constituencies.
The newly formed Amanah has to adopt a more open attitude due to its own weaknesses being a new entity, and has therefore expressed its willingness to work with PAS, which will have a final say whether such cooperation could eventually take place.
We can see from here that the formation of Pakatan 2.0 is going to be a very tough battle and no one can tell for sure who will be in the new alliance and how they are going to work together, until the very last minute.
That said, it is essential for the new alliance to avoid the same mistakes of its precursor. It must pick up some valuable lessons from the past experience, and ensure that component parties agree on some of the major issues and principles while conscientiously adhering to the democratic spirit and universal values in order to propel the nation forward towards a more matured democracy.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Malay Mail Online.
