Why is Pakatan Harapan on a self-destruction trajectory?

Randhir Singh

When voters kicked out the old BN regime during the last general election, they were hopeful of systemic, institutional changes. So rightfully, when BN, together with renegades from Bersatu and PH MPs toppled the 22-month-old government through unethical means, it should be a matter of course that public sentiment will swing in favour of PH right?

That view is simplistic at best. Putting aside how feeble, inexperienced and gaffe-prone PH was during its short stint, the coalition – or whatever left of it – appears to be unnecessarily making one missteps after another after it lost power. By right, PKR, DAP, Amanah and the remnant MPs from Bersatu would have a common objective now, namely to seize back power from PM Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

And given Muhyiddin’s razor-thin majority in Parliament, it shouldn’t be that difficult, what with Tun Dr Mahathir leading the charge, considering his track-record in deposing three PMs in the past.

But in spite of – or is it because of? – having a common goal to return to power, PH remains even more fractured than when they were in Putrajaya. Fissures between Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Dr Mahathir became more apparent when the former boycotted a media conference by the latter after the controversial Parliament sitting on Monday.

Earlier, Anwar had even paid a private visit to Muhyiddin, lending the latter legitimacy which PH allies had questioned since the eighth PM swore-in on March 1 after a series of political horse-trading.

Anwar had said it “wasn’t a PH press conference” despite the presence of other PH component party heads like Lim Guan Eng and Mohammad Sabu. It doesn’t take much to read between the lines.

As it is, there’s no word on who would be PM if PH pulls off the vote of no confidence and regains the mantle.

And in further proof that all is not well within PH, a series of audio recording from internal party meetings in PKR and Bersatu were leaked to the media. The timing of the release were clearly orchestrated by factions frustrated with the leadership.

And perhaps the most ill-thought out plan since PH left Putrajaya was its attempt to oust Muhyiddin through a vote of no-confidence. While most Malaysians were keen to test the PM’s legitimacy, the timing reeks of political expediency in its most profane form, with little, if any, concern about the Covid-19 pandemic that has hit Malaysians in ways nobody has ever imagined.

So, all in all, it is utmost disappointing that PH can’t get its house in order, if not getting more detached from the people it seeks to represent. If PH ever hopes to return to power, it has to do some soul-searching and recalibrate its self-destructing trajectory it has set itself upon.