IT is well and good for the Opposition in general and Pakatan Harapan in particular to adopt a broader approach in defeating the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional Government in the next federal election.
The talk about adopting a broader approach or commonly said as the “big tent” formula suggests that the Opposition thinks that BN has a good chance of capturing Putrajaya after its stellar performance in the recent Johor state election.
And there are suggestions for Pakatan to team up with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu)-led Perikatan Nasional to stop BN.
Such a suggestion presupposes that PN and Pakatan having something in common or can function on the basis of some common denominators.
I am not sure what other common denominators are there but there is only one I can think of, the opposition to BN. Take this away and both the coalitions are more opposed to each other than having certain commonalities to confront the BN.
It is not that a united front cannot be formulated to have a pact to oppose the BN. Anything is possible as they say, politics is the art of the possible.
Right now, with the general election not that far away, I don’t really see that both Perikatan and Pakatan inching towards each other.
Pakatan might be a flexible opposition but the coalition has not forgotten the misdeeds of the Perikatan coalition, Bersatu in particular.
The infamous Sheraton Move that brought about the collapse of the Pakatan-led federal government is fresh in the minds of the leaders and voters.
So, how can Pakatan even think of “sleeping with the Perikatan” particularly Bersatu after it had brought us down?
If not for Bersatu and its president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s treachery, Pakatan would still be holding Putrajaya now.
“Holier-than-thou” PAS a real pain
Of course, it is not that Pakatan was entirely blameless as it became too dependent and subservient to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Given the betrayal of the Bersatu, there is little room to even to speculate on a limited electoral cooperation to dent the performance of the BN.
Another factor that militates against a possible cooperation between Perikatan and Pakatan is the obnoxious role played by the holier-than-thou party PAS.
Even if Bersatu leaders can think of a limited cooperation with Pakatan, PAS would oppose it as it cannot get along with the DAP.
It is not that PAS never cooperated with DAP. In the 2008 General Election, both cooperated within the framework of Pakatan Rakyat.
However, such an alliance was a short lived one, as irreconcilable differences broke up the alliance between both parties.
How can DAP even think of working with the PAS if the latter has consistently and vehemently attacked the former of allegedly being the source of all evils in the country?
As of now, the talk of an alliance between Pakatan and Perikatan is out of the question. Whether things will change for such to happen is difficult to answer…at least for the moment. – March 21, 2022
Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is the state assemblyperson for Perai. He is also deputy chief minister II of Penang.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Pic credit: Borneo Post Online
