Rafizi: A coalition formed without common struggle risks falling apart

PANDAN Member of Parliament, Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, questioned the strength of the new opposition loose coalition announced by Perikatan Nasional (PN) Chairman, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, along with 12 other political parties.

According to Rafizi, a coalition formed without a foundation of common struggle has a high risk of falling apart and will fail to survive in the long term.

“We have seen coalitions like this before. The problem is not when they are together to fight the government, but when it is time to share power and divide positions. Their real challenge is after the election, not before,” he said.

He stressed that the people are now wiser in assessing political offers and are not easily influenced by coalitions that only aim to overthrow the government without a clear policy direction.

“If we only build a coalition to overthrow the government without a clear common policy, the people will see it as just a power struggle, nothing more,” he said via Facebook.

Rafizi also reviewed the history of political coalitions in the country, including the success of Pakatan Harapan (PH) in overthrowing Barisan Nasional (BN) in GE14, but eventually split due to internal conflicts that led to the “Sheraton Move” and the birth of PN.

He described the new coalition as inconsistent, as it brings together figures and parties that were once enemies.

“Muhyiddin once labelled PAS as a heretic party, while PAS criticised Tun Mahathir for allegedly oppressing the people of Kelantan.

"The ICERD issue also saw PAS make Waytha Moorthy its main enemy, but now they are sitting on the same stage as political allies,” he said.

Rafizi stressed that the strength of the coalition depends on the performance of the Unity Government led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, but reminded that history has shown that fragile coalitions find it difficult to implement new policies effectively.

“If the government fails to address economic issues and the cost of living, voters may see this new bloc as an alternative. But fragile coalitions often fail due to differences of opinion,” he said. - August 21, 2025