A Kadir Jasin
THE national opposition coalition is in disarray following the DAP’s declaration today that “Pakatan Rakyat ceases to exist”.
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In a statement, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said: “The DAP central executive committee accepts the PAS Muktamar’s motion severing ties with DAP and effectively, that Pakatan Rakyat ceases to exist.”
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The Penang Chief Minister and Bagan Member of Parliament said the DAP would work with and all other forces that aspire to see an end to UMNO/Barisan Nasional’s rule and to reshape and realign Malaysian politics with the aim of capturing Putrajaya for the people.
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The DAP’s stance makes the position of the PKR as a go-between awkward and difficult, especially in the absence of its de facto leader, Anwar Ibrahim.
The future of the coalition depends very much on the ability of the Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, to negotiate a truce between the DAP and PAS.
Although the opposition state governments of Selangor and Penang are not in eminent danger of collapsing, the situation Selangor is complicated and possibly dicey.
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The PKR leads the state by providing the Menteri Besar (Mohd Azmin Ali). If either PAS or DAP pulls out, the remaining two parties will have 28 seat in the 56-member house to form a minority government.
The BN may be tempted to test its luck to provoking further rift between the DAP and PAS with the hope of seizing power. The most possible ally in any attempt by Umno is the Ulama-led PAS. But that will give them only 27 seats, unless they could buy the loyalty of at least two PKR assemblymen.
On the other hand, the PKR, the DAP and PAS may still stay together as strange bedfellow sans the PR umbrella, back to what they were before the 2008 general election. The PR came into being as formal coalition only following the big win in 2008.
In Penang where the DAP leads, the government is secure as PAS has only one seat. The DAP has 19 and PKR 10 in the 40-seat assembly.