The former PKR vice-president told Sinar Harian she foresaw PH having a tough time in GE15 and losing many parliamentary and state seats.

Echoing her party colleague Rafizi Ramli, Nurul Izzah said PH needed to become an opposition bloc “with dignity” and offer voters something that was different yet more realistic compared to GE14.

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“I feel that it won’t be easy for PH to win in the coming general election and we have to be prepared to lose two rounds (of general elections) before the people can accept us again.

“I’m being very realistic because, to me, it will take time for our ‘product differentiation’ to succeed. Because the people and, even myself, are still traumatised over what happened when PH was in government for 22 months ” she said.

Rafizi, who is in the running for the PKR deputy president’s post, had urged PH to be realistic about its chances in GE15, saying it would be better to remain in the opposition “with dignity” than to trumpet its optimism about winning the general election.

In response, PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil said PH cannot be quick to give up on its hopes of winning GE15, speaking of a need to be “pragmatic while being realistic”.

But Nurul Izzah maintained that there will be no shortcuts for PH to regain the people’s confidence, citing the coalition’s failure to fulfil its GE14 promises as a major factor.

Nonetheless, the daughter of PKR president Anwar Ibrahim warned Barisan Nasional against being overly optimistic of its chances in GE15, despite its landslide victories in the Melaka and Johor state elections.

With the lifting of restrictions and transition to the endemic phase of Covid-19, she said, this meant that voters could go out in droves come polling day, unlike the recent state elections which saw low turnouts.

She added that she hoped the PKR leadership would allow her to defend her Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat, which she won in GE14.