PH must safeguard its voter base to land second term for Anwar, says analyst
Hisomuddin Bakar says Barisan Nasional also has a role to play in helping the government regain the confidence of Malay voters.
PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan (PH) must make efforts to safeguard its voter base if it intends to keep Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister for a second term, an analyst says.
Hisomuddin Bakar, executive director of Ilham Centre, also said that Barisan Nasional (BN), PH’s ally in the unity government, must win at least 30 parliamentary seats in the next general election (GE16).
“PH must not lose support from its existing voter base,” he told FMT. “Any erosion of support could jeopardise the seats held by PKR and Amanah.”
Adding that the shift in Chinese support appeared to have plateaued, he said this segment of voters also required attention.
“A shift might still occur in GE16. Assurances that the economy is recovering and growing is one way that PH could retain Chinese support,” Hisomuddin said.
PH secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail previously said that the coalition wished to put Anwar forward as prime minister for a second term.
Saifuddin, the PKR secretary-general, also said PH had yet to decide whether to work with BN for GE16.
The two coalitions are currently partners in the unity government, together with parties from Sabah and Sarawak.
Hisomuddin said BN had an important role to play in helping the government regain the confidence of Malay voters.
If it could not increase in strength, he added, it could not afford to lose any of the 30 seats that it currently holds, either.
“(BN’s) focus should be on the youth under the age of 35, especially the Malays,” he said.
“This is the demographic that gave Perikatan Nasional a boost of support in the previous general election.”
Hisomuddin also said that PH would face an uphill battle in retaining Putrajaya if it could not help grow the economy.
Nevertheless, he said it was too soon to tell if Anwar’s administration could remain in power for another term, although recent issues and controversies could provide indicators.
“Issues related to the cost of living and controversies involving race and religion are still rampant and are expected to remain ‘hot’ until GE16.
“The people will assess whether the current government is competent and deserves another chance. Only time will tell,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said the unity government had been seen as successful in achieving political stability, with indicators of an economic recovery.
He said Anwar’s achievements included building confidence among the parties that make up the current administration.
“So far, there are no signs of the people rising up in dissatisfaction against the unity government.
“Although there are certain issues such as the rising prices of goods, the government has managed to address them swiftly, and many initiatives for assistance have been provided,” he said.
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