Is Pakatan Rakyat in harmony?

Comical and shocking incidents punctuating the nomination day of the 13th general election yesterday which revolved around a handful of disgruntled party members, who joined the fray as independent candidates, have somewhat tarnished the image of the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

But between the two, the PR was more affected as the tussles for seats were not only among party members, but also among component parties, thus raising the question on the cohesiveness of the opposition pact.

The clash among opposition component parties will set voters into thinking to what extent the opposition can reach an agreement on bigger and more pressing issues like the national administration?

What is the rationale behind the contest between PAS and the PKR in seven constituencies, namely the Labuan parliamentary seat and six state seats - Panti (Johor), Sungai Acheh (Penang), Kota Damansara (Selangor), Bukit Besi, Kota Putera and Seberang Takir (Terengganu)?

On the other hand, there was no overlapping of candidates among 14 component parties of the BN, the successor of Perikatan or Alliance.

Just like the opposition, the BN is also saddled with a handful of disgruntled members who had chosen to break ranks and contested as Independents.

According to political observers, they could be driven by the thought that they could tilt the balance or contribute to the formation of a new government after the polls, which are expected to be the toughest ever.

Among them are Umno veterans, namely two-term deputy minister and Penang former deputy chief minister Datuk Seri Shariff Omar, who is vying for the Tasek Gelugor parliamentary seat, and former Wanita Umno vice-chief Datuk Kamila Ibrahim who had turned down an offer to contest the Bukit Chandan state seat on a BN ticket to contest the Kuala Kangsar parliamentary seat as an Independent.

Former Sungai Dua assemblyman and former Kedah state executive councillor Fadzil Hanafi of Umno is staking his claim for the Alor Mengkudu state seat as an Independent. And so is incumbent Janice Lee Ying Ha who is defending the Teratai state seat as an Independent.

In an unprecedented move, DAP stalwart Sim Tong Him who is defending the Kota Melaka parliamentary seat on a DAP ticket is also vying for the Kota Laksamana state seat as an Independent against a candidate from his own party.

BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who seems unperturbed over the phenomenon of disgruntled party members standing as Independents, however drew voters attention on overlapping of opposition candidates in a number of seats.

Speaking when opening the "Sentuhan Kasih Felda" in Felda Chini Timur 2, Pahang, he asked voters to ponder whether the PR could run the government together when it could not even come to terms in the allocation of seats.

For Najib, the PR was not an alliance which could ensure the future of the country and the people for it was not a big coalition and not united under one philosophy or political ideology.

Although the opposition-led Kedah, Kelantan, Penang and Selangor remained intact after the 12th general election, they were often in conflict over issues like the sale of alcoholic drinks by Muslim workers in Selangor, female hairdressers attending to male customers in Kelantan, and dress code for artists and billboards in Kedah.

But a fundamental policy difference which will test the integrity of the pact between the DAP as a socialist party and PAS as a so-called Islamic party involves the implementation of Hudud (Islamic criminal law) and an Islamic state.

More often than not, PR component party leaders have often stressed that they were united in their resolve to topple the BN government, and agreed to put aside their policy differences for now.

"But have they reached an agreement over the Islamic state issue?

DAP chairman Karpal Singh balked at the implementation of the Hudud law Hudud by retorting "over my dead body" yesterday, thus reaffirmed his party's stand on the issue.

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang no longer echoed the implementation of the Islamic law, instead chanted the "Welfare State" slogan with some party members interpreting it to be similar to the Islamic state objective.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guang Eng and PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had said that PAS leaders agreed on the use of the word "Allah" for God in the Malay-version of the Bible, but some PAS members had refused to accept it.