Tougher going for Pakatan Harapan

POLITICAL analyst Tang Ah Chai says if Pakatan Harapan (PH) component parties fail to come to a consensus on seat allocation or engage PAS to play a complementary role, the coalition will have problems repeating the big win it achieved in the last two elections, even if snap polls are held.

He told Sin Chew Daily in an interview published yesterday that the proposed redelineation of constituencies clearly favours Barisan Nasional (BN).

The good thing about a snap state election for PH is that the old state constituency list would still be used, he pointed out, in reference to the call on Sunday by DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang for Selangor to hold snap polls, which Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said was not necessary.

“If a snap election is held, PH’s greatest challenge will be to get PAS to play a complementary role,” said Tang.

In the 2013 general election, PAS won 15 of the 56 seats up for grabs to emerge the biggest winner alongside its then Pakatan Rakyat partner DAP.

“Any move by PAS to team up with Umno to create straight fights with PH will pose a tremendous threat to the state’s governing coalition,” added Tang.

He said even if PAS chooses to take on Umno and PH in three-cornered fights, BN will still be the ultimate winner.

“PAS may not necessarily win in a threecornered fight, but it will surely split PH’s votes to allow BN to emerge the winner, as can be seen from the last two by-elections.”

PAS aside, the seat allocation among PH component parties and the newly formed Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, which is forging cooperation with PKR, are factors PH has to contend with, said Tang.