COVID-19 has crushed all pretence of Pakatan Harapan (PH) as a credible opposition or government-in-waiting.

The ineptitude of PH since being ejected from Putrajaya in February 2020, bedevilled by skewed priorities, has swept away all illusion.

Pressure on the coalition is mounting.

The decision to remain aloof and sign the Memorandum of Understanding with the ruling government now looks foolhardy, and, along with the cost crisis, could stunt the coalition’s ambitions to return to Putrajaya.

The pandemic and rising costs in food – which both discriminate by religion and economic status – have brought forth the country’s deep malaise. 

And the worst is yet to come, with experts predicting that another wave will hit, sooner than projected. It is unimaginable to think how the crisis could worsen – and how much more loss is to come.

There is no doubt that the prime minister has lost enormous support across the country over his government’s continued mishandling of the country. 

From failing to anticipate rising costs accordingly to holding state elections in Malacca and Johor, the government appears not just tone-deaf but wilfully intent on denying the enormity of the situation presently affecting the country.

What PH needs to do and should be doing now really matters. 

For the sake of the country, it cannot afford to let Barisan Nasional (BN) win. 

The rest of the world is holding back laughter, waiting to see if the country returns to and continues with its shameful title of a kleptocratic administration. 

There is the question of what would happen if the country returned to a kleptocratic administration. It will be a gigantic setback.

This is a disturbing reality for the PH coalition. In the space of slightly more than two years, it burnt a lot of the political capital it had when it walked into Putrajaya in May 2018. 

It is not surprising for the gap to have widened among voters who voted for PH in May 2018 and those who voted for BN, a gap that may be hard to close in the 15th general election (GE15). This will also raise doubts about the viability of the current leader of PH continuing to lead the coalition and be named prime ministerial candidate.

Things could still get worse.

PH is facing not just increased political polarisation and rising prices but the risk of a recession that could hit around the time GE15 is called.

Having moved cautiously to date, it would not be a surprise for the Finance Minister and Bank Negara Malaysian to adopt an aggressive stance in the latter part of the year or early next year as signs of a worldwide downturn becomes more apparent.

Yes, all things considered, the present government is facing the worst possible environment for an incumbent in need of a bounce back. But then again, a sharply slowing economy could inflict a blow to PH’s prospects, too.

It is far from clear whether PH will be able to engineer a similar comeback as it is caught between disillusioned voters who are disappointed in PH’s failure to deliver on its manifesto in 2018 – a promise of transformational economic and social change – and voters who feel the leadership of PH member parties pay too much deference to the coalition leader’s personal pursuit to become prime minister.

The unhappiness in the country is even broader than the inflation that is projected to infect us. The gloom reflects disappointment that the country has failed to return to normalcy under the present government’s watch.

And the rakyat really want politicians who are in touch with that reality and are going to do something about it.

Despite the Keluarga Malaysia tagline promising to deliver unity to a starkly polarised society, it appears that the convergence of so many issues unfavourable to the present government has resulted in bitter divisions not only across the political divide, but also within parties on both sides of the coalition.

And it is so tumultuous. It is a different crisis every day. 

The clock keeps ticking and the time between now and GE15 keeps getting shorter, which means the problems will probably last. And PH should be incredibly concerned about what’s coming. 

At times, PH looks like it has been caught by its heels by certain issues and isn’t particularly engaged. It appears that kitchen table issues always take centre stage with the coalition.

Those who voted for PH in 2018 are now unenthusiastic about the coalition or at least unenthusiastic about its leader marching it into GE15.

It used to think he was a great choice but not anymore, especially going forward. Voters now view him as representing the past rather than the future. He over-promised in the beginning and is looking like he might under-deliver in a pretty big way.

Voters, especially those who voted for change in 2018, now want to move on.

Maybe inside the coalition, there is still confidence. Maybe it is of the view and firm belief that it understands the political headwinds it will face and it feels optimistic.

With Umno imploding, PH has only a handful of months before GE15 to chalk up tangible accomplishments it can sell to voters as a win. Voters don’t feel like anything was accomplished by PH in the last two years. It is not because of the rakyat’s desire for instant gratification. It is because the problems are of such great magnitude. 

Good policy is good politics. It is important that PH get things across the finish line.

If the downward drift of the coalition continues, the tensions and frustrations within the parties in the coalition are bound to get worse.

Hardcore supporters of PH are likely to argue that there is a disturbing gap between the coalition’s achievements so far and the perception of the electorate. They will explain it away as the coalition having been dealt a horribly bad deck of cards and what it is doing substantively is far better than it gets credit for – even with all the problems.

PH doesn’t need handouts; it just needs to present new actionable and workable ideas and show the rakyat that its leaders care about more than power.

It represents the people and provides an avenue for them to voice complaints, grouses or issues they feel would adversely affect their lives, those on the streets, or the future of their children. In other words, PH as the opposition – like the government – is also responsible for upholding the best interests of the people, at least in their perspective. – June 29, 2022.

* FLK reads The Malaysian Insight.

* 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.