Pakatan Harapan (PH) will lose federal power if the 15th General Election (GE15) is held tomorrow, according to a leader from the coalition.
Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) policy and strategy bureau chief Datuk Rais Hussin Mohamed Ariff said the euphoria of winning the general election last year has died down, and with it, came a democratic backlash over the many concerns faced by the public.
He warned that these concerns, including the issues of unemployment, cost of living and skewed priorities that affect the Malay-Muslims in particular, would be the determining factor in GE15, especially if nothing was done to address them.
“We have to start listening to the Rakyat. We are now doing what BN used to do, we are failing. We think we have power, therefore (the recent by-election results that went against PH) are insignificant.
“We may have about three years left (before the next general election), but if we do nothing, what’s going to happen then?
“Given the current sentiments, if we are to have the general election tomorrow, the new pact of Umno and PAS will win, hands down,” he said in the Post-GE14 By-Elections: Implications for GE15 forum today.
“The thing is, PH has stopped listening to the people,” he added.
Rais noted how PH had lost the last three by-elections it contested in the peninsular – Cameron Highlands, Semenyih and Rantau – and that this could be an indicator of how the coalition would fare in the next general election, slated for 2023.
“Yes, the by-elections can be an indicator if PH does not do anything different from what they are doing now. However, PH still has three years to address the issues, and they can correct them,” he said.
Rais explained that the coalition has to now focus on five core issues if it wishes to continue being in the government, namely the cost of living, quality of living, jobs, affordable homes and affordable healthcare.
He added that the recent move to lower the voting age to 18 would also not necessarily play in the favour of PH, noting that young voters were not “brand loyal”.
“It’s a double-edged sword and can be used against PH. The youth couldn’t care less about the parties, what they want is credible jobs,” he said.
Rais said the government should focus on agriculture as the country is still heavily dependent on importing food.
But instead, the PH government was going for the third national car project and flying car “which is almost comical as some people still cannot put food on the table”.
Rais’ damning verdict comes just days after another pro-PH activist had said Malaysians were feeling disappointed with the government because of the behaviour of some of its leaders.
Prominent lawyer and human rights activist Ambiga Sreenevasan had recently called on PH to avoid serving narrow interests and work for the whole nation.
In a series of tweets, she had said Malaysia needed more statesmen instead of politicians, as statesmen think of the next generation, whereas politicians “only think(s) of the next elections”.
“I understand how people feel. Every time you expect the leaders to behave in a reasonable fashion, some let you down so badly. It’s as if we do not really matter, only staying in power.
“We thought they were different,” she said.
Others, too, have accused PH of failing to deliver its promised reforms for a new Malaysia.
In recent weeks, the government and some ministers were seen to have failed to address issues pertaining to the introduction of Jawi writing for Year 4 vernacular school pupils starting next year.
Groups still oppose the move, even after the government’s compromise to scale the syllabus down from six pages to three.
The government has also been urged to come down harder on controversial preacher Zakir Naik, who allegedly offended Malaysian Hindus and Chinese in a speech earlier this month.
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said Putrajaya would not deport the Indian national, who has Malaysian permanent resident status, as his life may be in jeopardy if he were to return to India and that there were no guarantees the preacher would get a fair trial for the money-laundering charges brought against him.
Zakir is, however, also under police investigations for his comments here.
Related report: Aug 26, Ambiga: We Thought They Were Different