Who else can lead the Opposition if not Anwar?

KUALA LUMPUR: If not Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who else is able to unite the component parties within Pakatan Harapan (PH)?

Deputy Vice Chancellor for Student Development & Community Network, Universiti Selangor (UNISEL), Associate Prof Dr Hamdan Salleh said that Anwar is the most suitable person to lead the opposition at the moment.

“For a long time, Anwar Ibrahim is an icon who unites the opposition. Who can Pakatan Harapan propose as leader (to unite the component parties) if not Anwar?

“Besides, how would Pakatan Harapan ‘penetrate’ into other parties, apart from the existing component parties?

“It is not easy but we saw a glimpse of an opportunity during the recent Perak political saga. The opposition must face the fact that there is no one, other than Anwar, to unite PH.

Furthermore, he said in GE14, PH enjoyed the support of a wider base because of the Tun Mahathir, Bersatu and Warisan factors that helped the coalition win the election.

“In 2018, the opposition had Tun Mahathir. This time around, will Pakatan Harapan be able to do so on its own?” he told Astro AWANI.

“Tun Mahathir garnered the support from Malay voters and Felda settlers (in 2018). If Pakatan Harapan consists of only the three main parties, it will struggle to win seats other than what it currently has.”

Among PH’s biggest weaknesses, he added, is that it did not have a strong coalition in Sabah and Sarawak.

“The opposition’s main weakness, for many years, is in Sabah and Sarawak. None of the three component parties have strong support there. DAP has been in Sarawak for a long time but it is still regarded as a party from Semenanjung.”

On Thursday, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Parti Amanah Negara president Mohamad Sabu called on Pakatan Harapan to stop wasting time on “opportunistic” Perikatan Nasional backbenchers who are exploiting them.

In a joint statement, the leaders said it is time for PH to face the reality that it needs a reset following its failure to stop the federal budget from being passed.