‘DROP THE NAME, PAKATAN’
New contender for the ‘Harapan’ name
THARANYA ARUMUGAM KUALA LUMPUR tharanya@nst.com.my
AN UPCOMING multiracial political party has registered itself as Parti Harapan Malaysia (PHM) and wants the opposition Pakatan Harapan to drop its name.
PHM, formed by ex-PKR grassroots members, said it had submitted an application to form the party to the Registrar of Societies (RoS) on Dec 10, 2015.
Former PKR Lembah Pantai branch deputy chief Johari Musa, who is now PHM’s pro-tem deputy president, said the RoS had on Dec 6, 2016 agreed with PHM to use “Harapan” in its name.
The Pakatan Harapan pact was formed in 2015 to replace the previous Pakatan Rakyat coalition, and is made up of PKR, DAP, Parti Amanah Negara and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.
Johari said Pakatan Harapan would now have to change its name since it had yet to be registered with RoS.
“This means Pakatan Harapan can no longer use the name. However, we are quite disappointed because until today, PHM’s registration as a political party has yet to be approved,” Johari told a press conference here yesterday.
PHM is currently in talks with Pas to join the Gagasan Sejahtera coalition in order to contest the next general election.
Johari said PHM consisted of mostly former and existing PKR members. He touted the setup as an “alternative” to PKR in the next general election.
It was primarily formed to provide a political platform for those who disagreed with PKR’s direction, he said.
Johari also claimed 35 per cent of the existing PKR leaders and members had expressed their disappointment with the current leadership on various occasions, including the severing of ties with Pas.
“Many PKR leaders and members are waiting to leave the party. Many did not expect PKR would betray its good friend Pas.”