RACE politics remains one of the three main challenges Pakatan Harapan must overcome to win the next general election polls, said PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang or better known as Tian Chua.

“Some ethnic groups are asking how many ministers will PH give (our community)? If you give me less, why should I join you? If you give more, other sides will then ask how many will I get?” said Chua, who is also the Batu MP.

“In the 13th general election, everyone was focused on changing the government. Now people take it for granted that it’s a given to change the government.”

He said voters are now more interested in who will become the prime minister or how many Chinese and Indian ministers will be elected.

Similar concerns are also raised by voters in Sabah and Sarawak, with some even asking who will be the next finance minister.

While Chua accepts that such political bargaining and identity politics are a given in any democracy, he said, however, such matters should be decided behind closed doors if PH wins the elections.

Chua was speaking to The Malaysian Insight just days after his release from jail where he served a one-month sentence for refusing to obey a police order to leave a restricted area following the Bersih 3.0 rally in 2012.

He had appealed against the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision to uphold the Sessions’ Court sentence of a month’s jail and fine of RM1,000, but when his case reached the Court of Appeal, the PKR vice-president withdrew his appeal and dismissed his lawyers, choosing instead to go to jail.

Besides racial politics, PH’s two other challenges include trying to convince voters of its ability to govern the country and reducing conflicts within the coalition and with PAS in the lead up to GE14 that must be called by next August.

He believes the voters’ hopes of changing the government are not as high as the previous elections even though their dissatisfaction towards BN is much higher now, and their trust towards Prime Minister Najib Razak is at a historical low.

He said Barisan Nasional and pro-government media would go on the offensive to sow doubt among the people regarding PH’s ability to govern the country.

“Penang and Selangor’s track records are very important, to show that (we are capable of governing). We can be proud of our performances in both states.

“(But) we don’t promote ourselves enough. Many people don’t know how Penang and Selangor are doing,” he said.

Chua added that BN would also exploit infighting among PH and its conflict with PAS to counter criticism about its wastage and scandals.

“I think many people are generally fed up with BN’s wastage and scandals. I don’t have to repeat them as we have successfully convinced the people about them.”

However, BN has used conflicts within PH and with PAS to argue that it is a more stable political coalition that should be voted in again to continue governing the country.

“We need to counter that. Explain to the people that it is normal to have differences in opinions in a democracy.

“Because we’re in the midst of a transition (to a mature democracy), this is (one of PH’s few weaknesses) BN can exploit, to make swing voters think that they are taking a risk, voting for a coalition that doesn’t have mutual understanding.”

Chua conceded that it is difficult to achieve a high degree of unity within the young coalition, adding that “we must try to increase the people’s confidence in us”. – November 5, 2017.