IPOH: The only way for Pakatan Harapan to form the Perak state government is to work with Barisan Nasional, according to party insiders from the coalition and political observers.
They believe that there is the possibility of working with Barisan so that Perak does not fall to Perikatan Nasional.
An insider from PKR, who declined to be named, believes that it will be workable if party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is able to convince Barisan and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to join hands in forming the Federal Government first.
“The decision lies in the hands of the federal leadership.
“If that formula (working with Barisan and GPS) works, then Perak will not fall into the hands of Perikatan.
“But there is also a possibility that if Barisan were to work with Pakatan, then the mentri besar will come from Umno. We will know more by Monday (today),” the source added.
After the state polls that were held concurrently with the 15th General Election (GE15), DAP secured 18 out of 19 seats. PKR contested in 20 seats, but only won five, while Amanah contested in 20 seats and only managed to win one.
PAS contested in 25 seats and won 17 while Bersatu won nine out of the 25 seats contested, and Gerakan failed to win any despite contesting in nine seats.
Umno won eight state seats while MCA has one.
This is not the first time coalitions in Perak have found it difficult to gain a simple majority to form the state government, with horse-trading being used as the tool to get an advantage over others.
In GE14, Pakatan was able to form the state government when two Barisan state assemblymen, Datuk Zainol Fadzi Paharuddin and Datuk Nolee Ashilin Mohd Radzi, pledged their support. Both then later joined Bersatu.
A DAP insider believed that it would be a wise move for Pakatan to work with Barisan.
“It all depends on the equation at the federal level but it is better to work with the lesser evil (Barisan).
“Perak PAS commissioner Razman Zakaria has had past issues with the palace, and if Perikatan should form the state government, it will be in a difficult position to elect him as the mentri besar
“Thus, the best combination is still Pakatan-Barisan to ensure that the economy does not crumble,” he said.
A source from Amanah also believed that if Anwar could convince parties in Sarawak and Barisan, a capable and stable government would be able to be formed.
“That would be a good deal for Malaysians in general, and Perakians specifically.
“On the position of the mentri besar, the consent from the Sultan of Perak plays a very big role,” he added.
Meanwhile, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman political science lecturer Teh Boon Teck said he believed that a Barisan-Perikatan pact was more likely to form the state government.
“As for a Barisan-Pakatan pact, it will only be possible if Anwar is willing to give up on being the prime minister,” the political analyst said.
“I think overall, the Chinese community would prefer a Pakatan-Barisan partnership.”
Teh said a Pakatan-Barisan pact might anger some supporters but it was seen to be the better option due to PAS.
“It will be inevitable that Pakatan will get criticised for it after all the criticisms against Barisan.
“The supporters are likely to be more worried that Pakatan will form a government with a theocratic party like PAS so they can only grudgingly accept it if that’s the decision,” he said, adding that supporters of Pakatan would also be concerned that more religious policies or laws could be rolled out due to PAS’ ideological leaning.
“Compared with PAS, I think the supporters would rather go for Barisan despite their reputation.
“But on the bright side, if indeed a pact is struck between Pakatan and Barisan, then we could see less castigation between them as they may need each other again,” he added.
Dr Azmi Hassan, a senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research believed that forming the state government was not going to be complicated.
“There are only two choices where either Perikatan merges with Barisan or Pakatan can do so with Barisan.
“In both cases, Barisan is the supporting actor.
“I am hoping for the best. But for now, we have to wait to see if Perikatan is able to form the government at state level,” he added.
