Experts say Perikatan Nasional is still a viable candidate for GE15, despite its performance in Johor polls.
Despite all of the speculation over Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) future among political observers, it seems likely that the coalition will survive to fight another day, especially if they make a bad showing in the next Johor state election.
Political observers such as Professor Azmi Hassan of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia believe that PN, which is predominantly Bersatu, and PAS will be able to run in the 15th general election (GE15) regardless of their performance in Johor.
BN won 21 out of a total of 28 seats in the Melaka state election. In the run-up to the Johor state election, Umno-BN and PN have been at odds. According to recent news sources, PAS President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has chastised BN politicians in Johor who have refused to engage with PAS. Their relationship appears to have deteriorated, which has harmed their political alliance, Muafakat Nasional, which was formed in 2019. According to analyst Ahmad Fauzi, the fortunes of PN would be determined by the performance of its senior partners in elections.
To stay relevant, according to independent researcher Shahrill Sabarudin, PN must avoid traditional politics. He cautioned that PN would be powerless to stop Umno-rebirth, BN’s and that the viability of their political pact might have to be reconsidered. The Election Commission has selected March 12 as the election day for Johor, with early voting beginning on March 8. When measuring the strength of Bersatu-PAS against Umno-BN heading into GE15, Shahrill believes there are too many factors in the equation. With the Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) list, which includes 18- to 20-year-old voters, the numbers game is becoming more complicated, he noted.
