PAKATAN Harapan’s weaknesses and inability to implement policies caused the loss of confidence in Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s administration, said Kedahans.

Residents of Dr Mahathir’s home state told The Malaysian Insight that these shortcomings allowed certain politicians to turn against PH and form a backdoor government.

They said the PH government failed to use the government machinery to communicate with voters in the way they used to do as the opposition.

“Now that they are the opposition again, they have begun to hold ceramah to try to restore faith in them,” said Hafiz Hassan.

“But when they were the government, they only relied on government media and that wasn’t enough.

“On the other hand, the opposition (Umno and PAS) were doing more ceramah in villages and community activities with the grassroots,” said Hafiz, who voted for PH in the last general election in 2018

The 26-year-old was among 400 people at a recent ceramah in Alor Star following the PH government’s fall. Speeches that night focused on explaining the turmoil in the last week of February that saw Perikatan Nasional (PN) – comprising Bersatu, Umno and PAS – replace Pakatan as the federal government. 

The ceramah featured, among others, Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir, Sg Petani MP Johari Abdul and Kubang Pasu MP Amirudin Hamzah. Also present was former agriculture minister and Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub.

Mukhriz remains Bersatu deputy president, but falls on the side of the faction that supports Dr Mahathir as prime minister.

Fake news went uncorrected

A teachers’ training college lecturer, who only wanted to be known as Muhammad, said that PH failed to retain power over its narrative in the media, especially social media.

“What happened was caused by (PH’s) own weaknesses. When it was the government, it did not communicate its efforts to the voters,” said the self-confessed Anwar Ibrahim supporter.

“The Communications and Multimedia Ministry (led by DAP’s Gobind Singh) did not perform its duties properly. 

“There was a lot of fake news that went uncorrected and it was left to us, as supporters, to explain (things) to our friends,” said Muhammad, who journeyed from Sg Petani for the ceramah.

PH also suffered greatly from the conflict between its parties and their leaders, he added.

“PH was negligent as DAP and Bersatu were constantly fighting in the media. In PKR, Anwar and (Mohamed) Azmin Ali were also constantly fighting,” said Muhammad.

Test support in Parliament

Several PH supporters said they hope that a motion for a vote of no-confidence in Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will be brought up in Parliament when it next convenes.

“PH must hold a no-confidence vote in the upcoming Dewan Rakyat sitting on May 18. I don’t think this new government will last either as it is not supported by voters,” said Hamzah Salleh, an Alor Star voter.

Muhammad, meanwhile, said there was no need to wait until the next general election, due only in 2023, as MPs can show what they think of Muhyiddin in Parliament.

Until then, PH is set to hold more ceramah in the state as part of efforts to explain the government’s fall to the people.

PH leaders have blasted the formation of the Perikatan Nasional government through what they called “undemocratic” means and a betrayal of the people’s vote in the 14th general election. – March 8, 2020.