As the 14th general election draws near, things don’t look too good for the opposition. The Pakatan alliance, in particular, has not been carrying itself well since the ill-fated Kajang Move that eventually saw Azmin Ali installed as Selangor Menteri Besar. And then there was the quarrel between PAS and DAP that resulted in the breakup of Pakatan Rakyat and the emergence of Pakatan Harapan, an alliance that many see as shaky because of constant infighting, particularly in PKR.
The fall of Pakatan from public favour should be an interesting subject of study for political scientists, especially given that it has failed to benefit from the unpopularity of Prime Minister Najib Razak and, by extension, Barisan Nasional.
Najib was at one time seen as the weakest and most unpopular PM in Malaysian history. He may have regained some popularity in recent months. Nevertheless, the instability of the opposition is leading some to draw the conclusion that GE14 will see the return of BN to its full might, even sweeping the opposition out of Penang and Selangor.
The results of the recent Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections showed that BN could cause a swing in the Chinese vote. This was particularly worrying for Pakatan. The once overwhelming Chinese support it enjoyed meant not only that it had a reliable vote bank but also a community of supporters who, once they get outraged enough by perceived BN wrongdoing, would go all out to spread discontent.
Gerakan is right to worry that the corruption charges brought against Lim Guan Eng will sway public sympathy back to the DAP in Penang, but that effect may not extend all the way to Selangor given the strife between the MB and the people of the state. Azmin is now constantly under attack from civic groups over the controversial highways set to be built in the state. In fact, his latest promise of transparency has been rubbished by the groups he sought to pacify.
Despite Gerakan’s anxiety, things may still not work out well for Penang Pakatan. Should Guan Eng be found guilty and sent to prison, there is a chance that the opposition might be thrown into disarray long enough for BN to take advantage of the situation.
Whatever the case may be, it appears that Pakatan’s grand boom is coming to an end, and the blame rests largely on its own shoulders. While Rafizi Ramli may lament that the public does not seem to care about BN’s alleged corruption and misrule, the truth is that many are watching Pakatan and have drawn the conclusion that it is a sinking ship in its current form and with its current conflicts.
Still, the election date has not been announced and Pakatan could still make drastic changes to redeem itself. Source