SHOULD Anwar Ibrahim accept Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s offer to join forces in facing the general election (GE)? 

Though the Pakatan Harapan secretary-general has voiced the coalition’s refusal to work with Dr Mahathir, Anwar and PKR have not made their stand clear on the proposal by Dr Mahathir.

It must come from the horse’s mouth and not the coalition spokesman. 

The people are anxious to know if the collaboration could indeed materialise, as it did in 2018.

Having said that, if Anwar personally accepted the invitation to collaborate with Pejuang and Gerakan Tanah Air, will this be acceptable by DAP and Amanah?

There could be backlash among DAP and even Amanah supporters if PKR unilaterally embraces Dr Mahathir and his team. 

Mahathir has in reality cornered Anwar and PKR to a certain degree, for the former knows Malay votes are critical for any party to take over Putrajaya. 

A fragmented opposition will split its Malay votes, and Malay votes for Barisan Nasional will be the majority. 

PH cannot afford to be seen as arrogant at this point in time. PH does not command the leveraging power it did in 2018 from the 1Malaysia Development Bhd fiasco. 

The political landscape has changed drastically since and the factors at play are concentrated at ground level, directly affecting the voters.

So, should Anwar join forces with Dr Mahathir and maybe even Muhyiddin to eventually realise his big tent dream? – October 22, 2022.

* Narinder Pal Singh 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.