PETALING JAYA: The Registrar of Societies’ (ROS) suspension of Perikatan Nasional’s activities could disrupt its preparations for the Melaka polls but PAS might be less affected.
However, Parti Wawasan Negara could face a bigger setback, say political analysts.
Universiti Malaya political analyst Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub said the suspension could disrupt Perikatan’s preparations, particularly if it remains in force close to nomination day.
“The immediate concern is not only the use of the Perikatan name and logo but also campaign coordination, candidate selection, joint ceramah and the morale of local machinery.
“In my view, PAS may be less affected because it has its own established brand and grassroots network.
“However, smaller Perikatan components depend more heavily on the coalition’s platform for visibility and electoral relevance.
“This could make seat negotiations and campaign messaging more complicated,” he said.
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Dr Azmi Hassan said PAS should face little difficulty using its own “moon” logo if the suspension remained in force until polling day, given its familiarity among voters.
“In fact, it would be better for PAS to use its own logo during the Melaka state polls,” he said when contacted.
The ROS announced on Tuesday that it had suspended all Perikatan activities effective Wednesday, following a notice issued to the coalition seeking an explanation over a complaint lodged by Bersatu.
Azmi said the ROS decision could allow Umno to deal directly with PAS on seat negotiations instead of having to negotiate with Perikatan as a whole.
He added that the next question would be how the opposition seats would be divided between PAS and Wawasan.
Barisan Nasional formed the Melaka government after winning 21 of the 28 seats in the 2021 state polls.
Pakatan Harapan won five, while Perikatan secured two, both through Bersatu.
Barisan has previously stated its intention to defend all 21 seats won in 2021, potentially leaving seven seats for other parties.
However, Azmi said Wawasan could face greater difficulty because its logo is relatively unfamiliar to voters.
“For Wawasan, this could be a big issue. Not many people are familiar with its logo, and for Melaka voters, it will be a new one.
“If they are using their own party logo instead of Perikatan, it will be tough for them,” he said.
Political analyst Prof Datuk Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said the suspension would be an operational setback for Perikatan, particularly in terms of coordination and joint campaigning.
“But it does not remove PAS or Bersatu from the contest.
“The bigger question is whether they can convert their individual party machinery into an effective substitute for Perikatan,” he said.
Sivamurugan said the development could create more room for Barisan and Pakatan, particularly if the PAS-Bersatu divide continued.
“However, it is too early to conclude that the ROS action itself will determine the election outcome. The actual effect will depend on how quickly Perikatan resolves the issue and whether the PAS and Bersatu campaigns work together or separately,” he said.
