SINCE the humiliating defeat of Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the Malacca, Sarawak and Johor elections, there have been call by its leaders, for the opposition parties to unite. A “big tent” unity approach is seen as the way forward against the resurgent Barisan Nasional (BN).

This came about after PKR contested in the polls using its logo instead of PH’s, and the opposition parties were seen as fragmented and opposing one another.

The truth of the matter is, PH leaders seems to be focusing how to beat the BN with the suggestion of bringing all opposition parties within a coalition, without thinking about what happens if there is win after the election. Are they not aware that the electorate desires enduring stability in governance?

It seems that the means and ends do not measure up, what more if it’s beyond it.

For example, the underlying factor that brought the opposition parties together in the 2018 general election, was to ensure that Najib lost and the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the country would come to an end.

What happened after the objective was met was political games played by Bersatu to show that it is the sole protector of Malay rights, in competition with Umno, resulting in smaller parties like DAP being accused by supporters of being silent on Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s racist rhetoric. The so-called Malay dignity congress was used to play up the racial card that would benefit a party that won the lowest number of seats in the 2018 general election.

There was also power struggle within PKR and Dr Mahathir capitalised on it to ensure that those who opposed Anwar from becoming prime minister were cemented in critical ministerial portfolios.

PH was torn apart by racial rhetoric from Umno and PAS, and at same time, smaller parties like DAP had to face the anger of its supporters.

What was obvious was PH did not have a coherent ideology of governance and justice, and this brought about a string of defeats in five by-elections where the Malay community registered their protest votes against PH that had been perceived to be controlled by DAP even though such accusation was not based on facts.

There were other controversial issues such as the opposition of Dr Mahathir to increase the minimum wage, and abolishment of tolls on highways and the statement that manifesto is not written in stone, that revealed an incoherent PH government.

From what transpired during the PH rule, it was obvious that the absence of a coherent ideology that was acceptable to all of its component parties was one of the core reasons PH failed as a coalition. The end result was the “Sheraton Move” that revealed a pact that had failed to provide a stable and viable government.

The current rhetoric about the big tent with parties that have differing ideologies would result in emergence of the same issues if ethno-religious parties such as Pejuang and Bersatu are going to be part of the coalition.

Therefore, before one could speak about the big tent approach in facing BN, it is vital to discuss a coherent ideology which is critical for a coalition to survive in the long run. The absence of a shadow cabinet itself shows that PH is not prepared to govern.

BN is a strong political entity in spite of its being in riddled with corruption scandals is due to its coherent ideology of stability and development.

PH and other opposition parties have to fix the missing link because it is not just about victory, but what happens after attaining victory.

It is time for opposition parties to organise a forum and thrash out what would be its fundamental ideology of unity if it governs the country.

I believe the electorate who are discerning would want such moves on the part of the opposition. – March 18, 2022.

* Ronald Benjamin is secretary for the Association for Community and Dialogue.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.