‘Opposition must resolve leadership woes’

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Harapan needs to resolve its leadership issue and make it clear to the people who will be leading the pact, said a political analyst yesterday.

Universiti Sains Malaysia’s political expert Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said in order for Pakatan Harapan to be accepted by the public, the pact needed to prove that it was better than other past or present opposition coalitions, including the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat.

“I think they need to sort out the issue of who will lead… is it the (Pakatan Harapan) de facto leader or the chairman or the president?

In a press conference on Thursday, former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced his appointment as the pact’s chairman while Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was named de facto leader.

Anwar’s wife and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was appointed Pakatan Harapan president.

Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Parti Amanah Negara president Mohamad Sabu were appointed as Pakatan Harapan’s deputy presidents.

PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali was named as one of the vice-presidents along with PPBM deputy president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen and PAN deputy president Salahuddin Ayub.

Universiti Malaya’s political analyst, Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi, said Pakatan Harapan could have won the support in East Malaysia if it had appointed a Sabahan or Sarawakian leader to the pact’s line-up.