FMT:
PN as coalition of equals is unrealistic, say analysts
5 hours ago
Elill Easwaran
The analysts say political survival in Malaysia requires that one strong party lead the coalition
A UTM academic says the ideological rigidity of PAS makes it implausible to expect equality among coalition partners.
PETALING JAYA: The idea of Perikatan Nasional (PN) functioning as a coalition of equals without a single dominant party is “very idealistic” and largely unworkable in Malaysia’s political environment, say analysts.
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said coalitions in Malaysia typically require one dominant party to survive, while PN’s core problem lies in that it has two competing power centres – PAS and Bersatu.
“The best coalition is one with a single dominant party. But the problem with PN is that they have two dominant parties.
“Giving equal footing to parties is very idealistic. If you want to survive in Malaysia’s political scenario, you need a strong single party that can bring the coalition forward,” he told FMT.
Azmi said PAS should be the dominant party in PN, with the appointment of a strong chairman from the party being crucial to ensure stability.
He said PN’s problem had been that its previous chairman, Muhyiddin Yassin, was not from the dominant party but from Bersatu. “The number one and two posts were both controlled by Bersatu, which is not workable in the long term,” he said.
After Muhyiddin stepped down as chairman on Jan 1, PAS central committee member Annuar Musa was recently reported as calling for a transformation of PN’s leadership structure to make it more inclusive, flexible and progressive.
He said PN can introduce a “more inclusive organisational model where all component party leaders are on equal footing, and decisions are made collectively through consultation and consensus”.
However, Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said equality among PN’s component parties was also implausible given PAS’s ideological rigidity.
“The concept of equality between political parties within PN is unrealistic, especially when it comes to a conservative party like PAS which is very much committed to its ideology,” he said.
Mazlan said Annuar’s proposal would appeal only to limited segments of society, particularly the middle class and civil society groups.
He also questioned Annuar’s ideological fit within PAS. “I think he is not a real PAS member. His thinking is very progressive but does not fit with PAS’s political culture,” he said.
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said coalitions in Malaysia typically require one dominant party to survive, while PN’s core problem lies in that it has two competing power centres – PAS and Bersatu.
“The best coalition is one with a single dominant party. But the problem with PN is that they have two dominant parties.
“Giving equal footing to parties is very idealistic. If you want to survive in Malaysia’s political scenario, you need a strong single party that can bring the coalition forward,” he told FMT.
Azmi said PAS should be the dominant party in PN, with the appointment of a strong chairman from the party being crucial to ensure stability.
He said PN’s problem had been that its previous chairman, Muhyiddin Yassin, was not from the dominant party but from Bersatu. “The number one and two posts were both controlled by Bersatu, which is not workable in the long term,” he said.
After Muhyiddin stepped down as chairman on Jan 1, PAS central committee member Annuar Musa was recently reported as calling for a transformation of PN’s leadership structure to make it more inclusive, flexible and progressive.
He said PN can introduce a “more inclusive organisational model where all component party leaders are on equal footing, and decisions are made collectively through consultation and consensus”.
However, Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said equality among PN’s component parties was also implausible given PAS’s ideological rigidity.
“The concept of equality between political parties within PN is unrealistic, especially when it comes to a conservative party like PAS which is very much committed to its ideology,” he said.
Mazlan said Annuar’s proposal would appeal only to limited segments of society, particularly the middle class and civil society groups.
He also questioned Annuar’s ideological fit within PAS. “I think he is not a real PAS member. His thinking is very progressive but does not fit with PAS’s political culture,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment