PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional must resolve its leadership impasse swiftly to secure its survival, analysts warn, noting that the coalition’s biggest threat comes from internal uncertainty rather than political rivals.
Prolonged delays in appointing a new Perikatan chairman risk undermining the coalition’s readiness for the upcoming Melaka and Johor state elections, as well as the next general election.
Prof Datuk Dr Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia said Perikatan’s future hinges on the rapid appointment of a credible leader, clearer power-sharing arrangements among its component parties, and a shift away from protest politics towards a coherent governing narrative.
“Perikatan’s biggest threat is leadership uncertainty, not its opponents,” he said when contacted yesterday.
The coalition has been leaderless since Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced his resignation in late December, effective Jan 1.
Sivamurugan said the absence of a successor has weakened coordination and messaging at a time when the opposition coalition should be consolidating support ahead of key elections.
He identified Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin and PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man as the most credible potential successors, while noting that names like Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar face political or structural limitations.
Universiti Malaya’s Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub echoed the urgency, warning that Perikatan risks losing its direction if the leadership deadlock continues.
He noted a stalemate between factions aligned with Muhyiddin and PAS members opposed to his return. To ease internal hostilities, he suggested interim measures such as temporarily leaving the chairman’s post vacant or holding a vote among grassroots members of all component parties to curb elite infighting.
Meanwhile, Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Dr Azmi Hassan said Muhyiddin remains the only figure capable of holding the coalition together in the short term.
