PUBLIC displays of disunity among Pakatan Harapan component parties is among the factors that will impact negatively public opinion on the ruling coalition, said a research firm today.

Fitch Solutions Macro Research said there will be a drop in PH’s popularity in the coming months and attributed it to the policies and infighting in the coalition.

“Our view at Fitch Solutions is that PH runs the risk of a drop in its popularity for three reasons – first, the electorate may increasingly take the view that the government is not helping to reduce the living costs.

“Second, the coalition’s repeated public displays of disunity and third, the electorate’s disillusionment with the idea that the Pakatan Harapan government will usher in a new Malaysia with a greater degree of racial equality,” it said in a statement.

As a result of this, Fitch Solutions said it is rating Malaysia’s short-term political risk at 72.5 out of 100.

“Policy-making process” and “policy continuity’ are slated as being the weakest sub-components at 68.3 and 67.5, respectively.

PH’s failure to deliver its election promises are factors going against it, the firm said.

“The government did raise the minimum wage to RM1,050, from January 1, and set aside RM3 billion to implement fuel subsidies in the form of a fixed price from June 7, 2018 to the end of the year.

“But the allocation for the subsidy was reduced to RM2 billion for the entirety of 2019 and the scheme altered to a managed float instead.

“With crude oil prices still likely to mount a recovery in 2019 from current Brent spot prices of US$62.21 per barrel as of January 31, Malaysians will likely face higher fuel prices under the managed float system over the course of 2019.

“These measures, while positive for the country’s fiscal outlook, risk a decline in PJ’s support among the electorate.”

Last week, chairman of the Council of Eminent Persons Daim Zainuddin advised ministers against quarrelling among themselves openly as this could disgust the public.

He said although it is understood that all the ministers are new, such behaviour cannot be allowed to go on and they should show solidarity.

In recent weeks two senior ministers – Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali – made conflicting statements on the status of the East Coast Railway Link (ECRL) mega-project.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad waded in to explain that his cabinet was young and inexperienced.

He also defended both Azmin and Lim by saying that both ministers were right “but (the) timing was wrong”.

Before this, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Minister in charge of unity, P. Waytha Moorthy were involved in an indirect tiff when the former admitted that he “smuggled” members of Bersatu Armada into the Prime Minister’s Department so that they could submit a memorandum calling for Waytha’s sacking.

Syed Saddiq is also the chief of the Bersatu youth wing. – February 4, 2019.