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KUALA LUMPUR – Umno and DAP may often lock horns on various fronts, but a political analyst believes this will not stop the two parties from potentially establishing an unlikely cooperation to form the government after the general election.
Universiti Teknologi Mara academician Mujibu Abd Muis said this is in view of the current political landscape and the emergence of a more critical voter base towards politics.
“The only question is how will this cooperation start? Umno is the largest party representing the Malays, while DAP is the party most accepted among the non-Malays. Both have their respective histories, ideologies and traditions.
“Whether the combination will be a capable recipe to form a stable government remains to be seen,” he told The Vibes’ Malay language sister portal Getaran.
Previously, in an interview with FMT, DAP Secretary-General Anthony Loke said his party will not rule out a post-election collaboration with Umno, claiming “anything is possible in politics”.
He reasoned that Malaysian politics have undergone drastic changes since the 2018 general election, particularly in seeing the absence of a single dominant party necessitating a larger alliance among different outfits.
In a separate forum, Umno Secretary-General Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan did not dismiss the possibility of cooperation, merely saying that DAP has now come to terms with the strength of the party’s grassroots and that Umno is a magnet to other political entities following a series of state election victories.
His response is a drastic change of tune to the Umno of the past, when leaders would outright reject any potential pact with a party it considers one of its strongest rivals.
According to Mujibu, several hurdles need to be overcome in order to realise the formation of such an unlikely partnership.
For Umno, the academician said the party may struggle to convince the grassroots of the idea due to the contrasting ideologies, while the two political outfits are also known to be long-time nemeses.
“Umno’s excuse of political stability alone is not enough to convince their supporters,” he said.
DAP, on the other hand, could face a severe trust deficit, particularly among its progressive members, with many of its supporters considering Umno a racist party embroiled in corruption, he said.
Separately, Mujibu said any cooperation between Umno and DAP is set to threaten MCA’s survival in Barisan Nasional, as its influence among the Chinese community will be diminished.
“On the same note, the Malay component parties in PH, namely PKR and Amanah, may also face similar fates like MCA,” he said.
Mujibu argued that while the two PH components may share the same ideology with DAP, their strength, in terms of influence and grassroots support, is still inferior when compared to Umno.
“Presently, Umno and BN still appear to be the favourites to win the election, although they may not be able to secure a two-thirds majority if they go solo.
“Unlike DAP, Umno-BN does not seem as desperate to form any cooperation, so it is wiser for them to look at this option after the election.” – The Vibes, August 14, 2022
