DAP will sink without PKR, analysts say

(MMO) – Datuk Zaid Ibrahim’s (pic) call for DAP to cut ties with PKR and Pakatan Harapan will not augur well for the secular party as it will sink without the opposition alliance, analysts have said.

Pundits have labelled Zaid’s suggestion as “cynical” and “simplistic”, and aimed at poking fun at the current spat between PKR and DAP over the clashing of seats in the Sarawak election.

“DAP and PKR are fighting in the Sarawak polls and you see several overlapping seats, but to ask DAP to leave the pact because of this, I don’t think it is right as it is a very simplistic suggestion,” political analyst Associate Prof Dr Jeniri Amir told Malay Mail Online.

“DAP will not last for long if they are alone,” he added.

Jeniri, from Universiti Sarawak Malaysia, said Zaid was most likely not serious in his post about asking DAP to leave — unless the latter wanted DAP to suffer.

Zaid recently wrote in his blog that he was planning to invite DAP’s Lim Kit Siang to dinner to ask him to abandon his dream of keeping together the current electoral pact between DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah).

The former law minister added that DAP and Amanah showed a close affinity and should instead constitute the core Opposition while maintaining a loose arrangement with PKR for the purposes of organising joint ceramah sessions as well as striking agreements on some key areas for reform.

“Datuk Zaid is just being naughty to say something like that. He should have suggested DAP join Barisan Nasional maybe,” Associate Professor Dr Faizal Hazis said.

The academic from UKM’s Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS) said Zaid was poking fun at the current political turmoil in the opposition pact, after PKR and DAP decided to lock horns in six seats in the Sarawak election.

“Yes, the coalition is on the verge of collapsing, and infighting within the party has been overly popularised through the media, but I don’t think Zaid was being serious about asking DAP to leave the coalition,” he said.

He said while the relationship between PKR and DAP looked shaky, splitting and going their separate ways would not augur well for both parties.

Faizal said PKR and DAP needed each other to fight for reforms and to ensure there were checks and balances in the federal government.

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) associate professor Dr Neilson Ilan Mersat said the suggestion for DAP to form an alliance with Amanah would not be the best move at the moment.

“Amanah is new and although it is a splinter from PAS with veteran members, the party by itself is new to the people. It will take time to take off.

“For DAP to leave PKR and start a pact with Amanah alone, it makes no sense because Amanah is new and, like it or not, DAP needs PKR in order to compete against BN,” he said.

In his post, Zaid had also said that PKR, under the leadership of Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, could possibly consider forming alliances with PAS or even Umno.

Zaid said the opposition should not think it necessary to follow BN’s formula of forming one exclusive pact in order to win as many seats as possible.

Over the past two weeks, Pakatan Harapan allies PKR and DAP have been at each other’s throats over the breakdown in seat negotiations for the Sarawak polls.

Despite a previous agreement to ensure straight fights in all 82 seats for the May 7 polls, both parties ended up clashing in six key seats during nominations on Monday when PKR refused to adhere to the original deal.