PERMATANG Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar said that it will need at least 10 more years – or two general election cycles – for Pakatan Harapan (PH) to win back Putrajaya.
The former PKR vice president also said she anticipates PH will struggle in the 15th general election (GE15), where it could lose most of its parliamentary and state seats, Sinar Harian reported.
The coalition should therefore be a dignified opposition party and offer something different and more realistic to voters compared to what has been offered during the previous general election, she added.
“I think it won’t be easy for PH to win the next general election and we must be ready to lose two rounds for a more positive impact that will allow people to accept us once more,” she was quoted as saying in an exclusive interview with the Malay daily.
“Why do I have a negative feeling about GE15? I am being very realistic because for me it will take time to produce success as people – and even I myself – am still traumatised by what happened during the 22 months when PH was in power.”
Elaborating, she said that there are no shortcuts for a political party to regain the people’s confidence and that the people must be convinced once more that PH is capable of doing better should the coalition be given the opportunity to retake Putrajaya.
When quizzed about her lack of confidence that PH would return to power after GE15 Nurul Izzah pointed to the coalition’s failure to fulfil its GE14 promises as a major factor.
She also noted that the 22-month period when PH was in power was too short compared to Barisan Nasional (BN) that was in power for more than six decades.
“If we want to compare PH and BN in terms of their failure to fulfil their manifestos, the difference is great. If we want to evaluate how much of its manifesto BN has managed to fulfil it might receive an ‘F’ (fail) grade,” she remarked.
“For example, the number of affordable houses for the B40 group were not fully realised and now I’m waiting to see how they will implement the RM1,500 minimum wage because, as of today, they have yet to finalise the exceptions for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) despite the fact that the policy will be enforced on May 1.”
Therefore, all PH leaders must demonstrate that they are an honest Opposition force that will remain loyal to the people through thick and thin – a move that she said is necessary as there are concerns that it is not only PKR or PH that will lose their seats in the next general election but their political rivals as well.
“Perhaps UMNO and BN are confident of winning the next general election but they must realise it is not in the bag yet, as there are many fence-sitters,” she commented.
“This is because the Johor and Melaka state polls were conducted before the country began its transition to endemicity. When all the economic sectors reopen, I think all voters will come out to cast their ballots. So, I think every MP should be worried.” – April 14, 2022
Main photo credit: Utusan
