Has PMX stepped on a melting iceberg?

The dizzying string of events the last few days has pushed the Prime Minister to seriously consider an early general election

DATUK Seri Anwar Ibrahim looked a little tense as he arrived for the Pakatan Harapan national convention in Johor Baru and he was taking such brisk strides that the PKR Youth leaders escorting him had to make an effort to keep up.

The Prime Minister could sense the air of anticipation as a result of the announcement by Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Onn Hafiz that Barisan Nasional intended to contest all 56 seats in the approaching state election.

For some Pakatan leaders, the timing of the announcement was like a stab in the back even though the signs had been there for months that Barisan, which won big in the 2022 Johor snap election, was not interested in an electoral pact with Pakatan.

Pakatan leaders saw the announcement as a hostile move aimed at raining on their parade and many of their speeches at the convention resembled an Umno-bashing fest.

Relations between Pakatan and Umno have soured dramatically since the Negri Sembilan fiasco and seems to be heading to a point of no return.

Anwar, who is Pakatan chairman, knew what those at the gathering wanted to hear and his call for Pakatan to contest every seat in Johor, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Penang and Selangor almost brought the roof down at the convention.

A political analyst watching the proceedings near the front of the hall thought it was like all hell had broken loose with delegates shouting “tolak Umno” (reject Umno) and “pengkhianat” (traitors).

Anwar had seized the moment, he ramped up the mood and allowed the delegates to vent their frustrations with Umno.

It was a rather emotional speech that smacked of tit-for-tat but it was the perfect tonic to assuage the crowd.

“The crowd became very upbeat and it made me wonder whether they knew what people outside were saying about their party," said the above political analyst.

In the months to come, this may mark the moment when the Madani coalition government started to fall apart.

“Anwar might be standing on an iceberg that is melting,” said the political analyst.

Anwar was likely also concerned about what was unfolding over in Petaling Jaya where Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli had timed his own event to coincide with the Pakatan convention.

Now, that was more provocative than the Johor Mentri Besar’s big announcement a day before the gathering.

It was a direct challenge by Rafizi against the party that had tried to crash his political career.

Rafizi’s event also had many oomph! moments.

Both he and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad would be resigning from their respective Pandan and Setiawangsa parliamentary seats.

Parti Bersama Malaysia will be the new vehicle for them to contest the general election.

The two former ministers would also be resigning from PKR. They admitted they may be on a kamikaze journey but they are doing what they believe to be the right thing.

At least six other PKR MPs showed up at the event and if they follow in Rafizi’s footsteps, it will be like dominos falling in PKR.

“Rafizi is tapping into the urban progressive bloc that PKR has lost and which Umno has been unable to impress.

“They are done with PKR, they are reclaiming the reformist agenda and they are not opportunists but going for a principled reset,” said the above political analyst.

Many had been convinced that the Prime Minister was committed to a full term.

But Anwar is now on the record saying that he will consult with his Pakatan partners about the possibility of an early general election.

A PKR leader from Perak said there are too many fires to fight and the house may get torched if he delays the inevitable.

The Negri Sembilan government, headed by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, who is also the PKR vice-president, is dangling between life and death.

PKR’s crown jewel, Selangor, is under pressure as Malay parties and groups go all out to defend the palace on the pig-farming ban. The “Daulat Tuanku” rally in Shah Alam on Saturday drew some 3,000 demonstrators.

Besides, the Pakatan gathering has started beating the war drums while Rafizi is offering urban voters an alternative.

Anwar was fierce and aggressive when addressing the Pakatan convention.

But his tone softened a few hours later during a walkabout in the Tebrau area. He told reporters he was still hopeful about a friendly solution in Johor and would meet up with Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“What is there to fight about?“ he said in a much more conciliatory tone.

But, as former DAP MP Tony Pua put it, the electoral pact between Pakatan and Barisan has become “completely untenable”.

Pakatan and Barisan are on a collision course, the fight has already begun.