DR Mahathir Mohamad insists that Pakatan Harapan is not straying from the political middle ground despite drawing fire from its own supporters.

The Bersatu chairman said the perception that the ruling coalition was becoming more conservative was from outsiders and those who want to split the alliance’s four component parties.

“Pakatan Harapan is not straying from the middle ground. That is the perception from the outside,” Dr Mahathir told reporters after chairing a Bersatu supreme council meeting.

“There have been attempts to split us with certain issues. Some members, not those in the cabinet, take the criticism seriously that there is dissatisfaction with the present government and they are thinking about changes.

“This is a very bad move because if you don’t do anything the whole party will split,” he added, but declined to elaborate on who these people were.

Earlier this week, Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong tweeted that he and DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang met with Dr Mahathir and PKR president Anwar Ibrahim on Monday.

Liew said they discussed the narrative for Malaysia Baru as PH is besieged from communal groups over their ethnic interests.

“(This discussion) was within the framework of bringing all quarters back to the middle, (to) keep a distance from all forms of extreme discussions,” he added.

Over the past few months, PH, which espoused an inclusive, pluralistic form of politics, has had to strike a precarious balance between the demands of Muslim and non-Muslim interest groups.

The administration had to compromise over a Barisan Nasional era decision to teach the jawi script to Year Four primary vernacular school pupils.

Malay-Muslim nationalists led by opposition parties PAS and Umno have demanded that PH not back down from the policy. Tamil and Mandarin school supporters on the other hand, have threatened to take their children out of these schools.

PH also had to deal with competing pressures to revoke the permanent residency status that had been given to controversial Muslim preacher Zakir Naik.

Malay-Muslim nationalists have said they will defend Zakir’s right to be in Malaysia, while non-Muslim groups want him out for insulting the nation’s Hindus and Chinese.

Political analysts have said that the inordinate attention PH has been forced to spend on dealing with these issues has distracted it from implementing its promised reforms. – August 29, 2019.