KOTA KINABALU – Certain DAP members are making Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim a scapegoat for the party’s own poor performance in the recent Melaka election in making calls for him to step down as Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman, said a Sabah political analyst.
Lee Kuok Tiung of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) said that despite these calls, the coalition still does not have capable leaders to lead them other than the Port Dickson MP, who is also PKR president.
“As for DAP, my view is that they were only venting their frustrations and targeted Anwar as the scapegoat.
“Who else can lead PKR and PH? There are no others who are capable,” Lee, a senior lecturer at UMS’ Social Sciences and Humanities Faculty, told The Vibes.
He noted that DAP is a very structured party, and its members are quite clear on their goals with regard to making a comeback in the 15th general election (GE15).
He said it is clear DAP likes the opposition front to be united and wants parties like Muda, Pejuang and Warisan to be brought into the fold.
He said questions about Anwar’s leadership relate not just to the drubbing in the Melaka polls, but also in the Sabah election in September last year when PH fared poorly.
He said there were many events that have led to DAP’s dissatisfaction towards Anwar.
Take for instance the decision by Anwar and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu to take under PH and field two former Umno members, Datuk Seri Idris Haron and Datuk Nor Azman Hassan, in Melaka.
Further to this, disagreements in PKR itself have raised questions about the PH leadership, he added.
Lee cited the feud between PKR’s former vice-president Rafizi Ramli and former deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, that took a serious turn when Anwar took over the party as president after GE14 in 2018.
He said the feud between the two men had been manageable during Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s time in presiding over the national opposition party.
Lee, however, confided that at the end of the day, DAP would still have to tolerate Anwar and PKR, reiterating that the apparent infighting in PH is just DAP’s way of venting its frustration.
Pro-Warisan group in Sabah DAP
Meanwhile, a PKR leader who spoke on condition of anonymity said that DAP wants Warisan and Pejuang, the party led by two-time former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in PH.
“The Sabah DAP election last Sunday also saw the clash between Warisan and Pejuang-friendly groups against those who want the parties out.
“Seriously, the way I see it, many of those who captured the (state) committee seats are those who are pro-Warisan DAP leaders.
“Therefore, I’m not surprised if the current DAP leadership has called for Anwar to step down. This way they can bring Warisan and Pejuang into their fold,” he said.
The source said PKR had expected Sabah DAP to call for Anwar’s resignation in order for them to reach their goals.
On Monday, newly minted Sabah DAP secretary Phoong Jin Zhe, who is also state PH youth chief, had called for a leadership transition in PH at the national level, saying that the coalition needs a new “captain” to help it rejuvenate before GE15, which is due by September 2023.
He said that the coalition is breaking apart from disagreements at present.
He stressed that all opposition parties including Warisan, Pejuang and Muda, should be united with PH to face GE15.
“Secondly, I’m of the opinion that PH chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should seriously consider that PH undergoes a leadership transition – to enable new expectations and meet the aspirations and new hopes of the people of Malaysia,” Phoong said.
“This means we should have a new captain for the national opposition alliance.”
Earlier on Monday, Pahang DAP secretary Lee Chin Chen had called on Anwar to step down as the opposition leader. He said PH should consider new directions and consensus in view of its heavy defeat in the Melaka polls.
In the Melaka election on November 20, PH won only five seats in the 28-seat assembly. All five were clinched by DAP candidates. The other PH components PKR and Amanah lost all the seats their candidates contested in.
Yesterday, Anwar had said he accepts responsibility for PH’s defeat in the Melaka election.
He said he will listen to criticism on his leadership during the election and calls for him to step down.
However, he stressed that the calls to quit are opinions that should not be clouded by arrogance. – The Vibes, November 24, 2021
