Think tank sees no chemistry in PH

(FMT) – The coalition, in order to meet its challenges, must first acknowledge that it had not won the May 9 election based on its strength.

Ilham Centre’s Hisomuddin says the coalition was not ready for the big win it achieved in GE14.

A think tank has observed that the parties in Pakatan Harapan (PH) have yet to show they can work together as a team.

Speaking to FMT, Ilham Centre director Mohamad Hisomuddin Bakar said the power struggle among component parties had become apparent.

“PH may have won several states from Barisan Nasional (BN), but the components have yet to achieve a sense of understanding as parties in a coalition,” he said.

“They may have achieved their goal of taking over the government, but they were not ready for a win this big or, rather, they are now wearing an oversized shirt, as the Malay saying goes.

“That is why the governments in states such as Kedah, Perak and Johor seem unstable.”

He said the coalition, in order to meet its challenges, must first acknowledge that it had not won the May 9 election based on its strength.

“It was the people’s massive rejection of the BN-led government that brought victory to PH. Because of that, there are a lot of governing processes it is not used to, or not prepared to take over, on such a big scale.”

Hisomuddin said PH would find it hard to bring reforms to states remaining under BN unless the coalition was strengthened.

He said the coalitions’s defeat in Perlis and Pahang reflected the weakness of its presence in both states.

“Now, without a strong presence in both states, the few PH reps there will face a difficult time fighting the battle for reforms.”

He cited the problems in deciding on the menteris besar for Kedah and Johor as further evidence of a lack of teamwork in PH.

“For Kedah, PPBM was taking the lead in GE14. By right, the understanding should be that it will take the MB’s post, but there was interference from PKR,” he said.

“In Johor, there was interference from Amanah. This should not have happened if there had been good chemistry among components parties.”