KUALA LUMPUR – Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) will likely work together to form a government if neither coalition obtains a majority of 112 parliamentary seats in the 15th general election (GE15) tomorrow, according to a political analyst.
Universiti Malaya (UM) academic Awang Azman Awang Pawi said such a post-election collaboration is possible as it had happened before in 1973, after the formation of the PAS-Perikatan (Umno, MCA, and MIC) coalition government intended to strengthen the federal government through unity politics.
“The reason I say that is because there are no permanent friends and foes in politics, even though they (BN and PH) often fight each other,” Awang Azman told Getaran, The Vibes’ Bahasa Malaysia sister portal.
“(There is) no problem (with cooperating), it has happened, and it is not unusual. When BN was formed, it also included Umno and PAS in 1973.
“PAS was removed from BN due to the political crisis in Kelantan in 1977, before rejoining the federal government on March 9, 2020,” he added.
Awang Azman opined that the decision to cooperate would be driven by the opportunity it would give both coalitions to emerge victorious from the polls.
“I see GE15 as a battle between BN and PH. They compete to outdo each other,” he said.
“That is PH’s challenge at the moment. They can be in front (of BN) if they can get 51% of the votes of voters aged 18 to 39, and the total turnout exceeds 75%,” he added.
BN’s option to collaborate with PAS
Nonetheless, Awang Azman did not dismiss BN cooperating with PAS as there are hints of this, as recently revealed by PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan.
“There are ‘bau-bau’ (scents) that PAS actually wants to be affiliated with Umno. They may see the chances of Umno (winning) as brighter than Bersatu’s,” he said.
“Something certainly caused Takiyuddin to say that. Maybe PAS feels it is right to make that decision in their interest,” he added.
Similarly, Nusantara Strategic Research Academy senior fellow Azmi Hassan agreed with Awang Azman regarding cooperation between BN and PAS to form a government.
According to him, BN will need another political partner in the peninsula if it is not able to get enough seats from Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.
Azmi said that PAS still has an interest in working with Umno, even though party president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang previously postponed Muafakat Nasional (MN) due to the coalition’s shakiness.
“If BN needs partners in the peninsula, I do not think it will be Perikatan Nasional (PN), as Bersatu is a part of it,” he said.
“It is likely if it is with PAS, Takiyuddin has already stated about the party’s cooperation with BN post-GE15,” he added.
Azmi also commented that hardcore voter sentiments will remain unwaveringly with BN, despite the corruption scandals of Umno leaders.
Young voters’ preference
Meanwhile, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Institute of Ethics Studies deputy director Kartini Aboo Talib claimed that young voters are more likely to choose based on parties as opposed to featured candidates, as the small number of posters or banners of candidates in contested areas leads to reduced awareness among voters.
“With some areas witnessing multi-cornered fights and the new candidates being unknown, young voters will only remember the names and logos of BN, PN, PH, and Pejuang,” she said.
“It may not be difficult to remember candidates’ names and vote for them if they are popular, but there are already 906 registered candidates and there are multiple contestants in one area.
“Social media campaigning is also lacking. So, young voters prefer to remember the names of the coalitions, because it is easier than remembering the names of new candidates, especially in multi-cornered seats,” she added.
Kartini advised young voters to choose a party that guarantees stability and is able to carry out their duty to the people with full transparency, dedication, and responsibility, stating its importance in helping the country face the challenge of global inflation.
An estimated 1,393,549 voters aged 18 to 20 nationwide are eligible to vote for the first time in the election tomorrow. – The Vibes, November 18, 2022
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