PAKATAN Harapan, Barisan Nasional and Gabungan Parti Sarawak should enter into a permanent grand coalition which would benefit the country in the long term, political analysts said.

They told The Malaysian Insight the unity government must seek to work together beyond a temporary understanding.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has urged all parties to support the unity government made up of mainly of former rivals PH and B

He said the set-up should be maintained for more than a term to make Malaysia great.

“This cooperation is not just for five years, for 10 years, for 15 years (but longer) because of our sincerity to work together as one team, as a grand coalition.

“The parties have come together to build a more glorious nation, and I am confident that if this continues, Malaysia will become greater,” he added.

Ilham Centre’s Hisomuddin Bakar said the top leadership in each party in goverment must discuss the idea at length.

“The matter must be discussed at the highest level before the grand coalition can be formed. Otherwise the partnership would be temporary like PN and BN’s, and they will face each other again in the next general election,” he said.

On Monday, Barisan Nasional (BN) secretary-general Zambry Abd Kadir said the coalitions in the unity government will soon sign an agreement to work together to ensure stability and confidence in the administration.

“Hisomuddin said  PH is strong in urban and mixed areas, BN in Malay-majority and rural areas, and GPS in Sarawak.

“I do not see why they can’t agree to form a more solid partnership. They need to do this to face PN, which won so many seats unexpectedly in the election. If they can’t find a way to work together, they will surely struggle to beat PN,” he said.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Dr Mazlan Ali said each coalition had its own strengths.

He said Zahid himself is confident in Anwar’s leadership.

“It is not impossible for the three main coalitions to work together. Anwar has a more dynamic approach. Sarawak and Sabah affairs are taken care of, so are the poor and for Zahid to come out and say something like that shows that BN is ready for a new political dimension,” he said

“Umno may have realised that it needs to be more pragmatic. With PH it can get the support of the non-Malays; political realities have changed.

The unity government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is made up of Pakatan Harapan, BN, Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.

It is supported by lawmakers from Muda, Parti Warisan Sabah, Parti Bangsa Malaysia, Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat, and two Independents.

Together, the unity government has 145 of the 222 seats in parliament. 

Umno grassroots

Associate professor Dr Azmi Hassan said it would be hard for the Umno grassroots leaders to accept the idea of a permanent partnership with PH.

“Umno grassroots, can they understand the need for it? Will they see DAP as an obstacle? It would be a problem for DAP because it has tolerated so much. 
 
“It is a good idea. The current government represents all Malaysians unlike PN, which was only for one segment of the community.”

Professor Wong Chin Huat of Sunway University did not think it was a good idea for the three coalitions to merge into a permanent pact. 

“From the voters’ point of view, they will have fewer choices. From the parties’ perspective, they will not be able to stand against one aother. 

“Over time, the inability for parties to compete against one another other and grow will reduce their competitiveness against parties that are not in the coalition,” said Wong, who is a political scientist 

In Sarawak, neither GPS nor PH would want to be confined to the 23 and six seats they respectively won, he said.

‘“The amalgamation of PH and BN into one coalition would reduce their product differentiation. As PH and BN become more like each other, voters who do not like either or both of them would naturally turn to PN or other new parties.

“This would allow the PN to grow and eat into Umno’s territory. It would be disastrous for Umno and Malaysia, because peninsular politics would be a binary contest between the multiethnic PH-BN and the monoethnic PN.”

“While the political reality means PH and BN must nominate only one candidate in the three PN states, and minimise competing against each other in the three PH states, there should still be some constituencies where PH and Umno stand against each other in friendly matches,” said Wong.

“In the best scenario, the friendly matches between PH and Umno should send the message to voters: these two are the only national coalitions that can form a stable government, and (that the election) is to decide which coalition should be the senior partner, and which should play second fiddle.” 

“The parties (should) compete against each other to give meaningful choices and at the same time  to exclude parties that are too (extreme).” – December 7, 2022.