The Opposition’s crushing defeat in the twin by-elections
proves that PAS cannot hold its own with just Malay support while Amanah cannot
only rely on non-Malay votes, said observers.
Political analysts noted that if the Opposition continues to
move forward in its fragmented state, only bad news awaits them in the 14th
general election (GE14).
“Nobody cares about who comes in second or third place. It
just means that all the resources spent amounted to nothing for either parties
on election day,” Ibrahim Suffian of independent pollster Merdeka Center told
Malay Mail Online.
PAS had come in second, ahead of Amanah in Kuala Kangsar by
801 votes, while in Sungai Besar, it was Amanah ahead of PAS by 707 votes.
BN won both seats with a 6,969 and 9,191 majority
respectively.
“PAS cannot move forward on its on. What the results show is
that without working together, the Opposition have no way to go against BN.
“If they are serious about politics, they must figure out
how to sit down together,” Ibrahim added.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Associate Professor Dr Mohd
Faisal Hazis concurred, adding that PAS lost its non-Malay support when it left
the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, which Amanah currently depends on for its own
survival.
“I don’t think Amanah managed to secure as many Malay votes
as PAS. The real battle is whether Amanah can replace PAS in the Opposition
pact, and right now, I don’t think that it is viable,” he told Malay Mail Online.
Both analysts attributed DAP’s aggressive campaigning in
Sungai Besar and a pseudo “incumbency advantage” for Amanah in Selangor by
being part of the Pakatan Harapan coalition as advantages that helped it
narrowly beat PAS for second place as opposed to the scenario in Kuala Kangsar.
However, they noted that BN had increased their popular vote
share in both seats.
“Even though Amanah showed it could overtake PAS under
certain circumstances, it is not even a significant challenge to BN,” Ibrahim
said.
Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) chief
executive Wan Saiful Wan Jan noted that should PAS continue on its own, it
would only create a hard time for the rest of the Opposition parties.
“If PAS continues as a spoiler, then it means the Opposition
will have a most hard time. PAS’ presence is a boon to Umno and bad news for
Pakatan,” he told Malay Mail Online.
“This is why I believe Datuk Seri Azmin Ali’s earlier effort
to mediate between PAS and Amanah was crucial. Pakatan needs more people who
share Azmin’s aspiration to mediate and negotiate between differing parties in
the Opposition bloc. Otherwise they will have a very difficult time.”
Source -Malay Mail Online-
Post a Comment