James Chin of the University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute said he believed it was important for all opposition parties to have their communication lines open to one another if they wished to see Barisan Nasional defeated in the coming general election.
They would have to ensure as many straight fights as possible, he said.
Chin told FMT he would disagree with Sabah PKR Youth information chief Razeef Rakimin, who recently urged his party to close the door permanently on working with Bersatu.
Razeef’s statement followed a news report quoting PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail as saying that his party was open to working with non-Pakatan Harapan parties. However, he said he was not referring specifically to Bersatu.
Asked if it made sense for PKR to think about cooperating with Bersatu after its role in Pakatan Harapan’s fall from power, Chin said anything was possible in Malaysian politics, adding that renewed alliances were common in politics.
“Of course, this will anger some opposition supporters, especially those who blame Bersatu for the Sheraton Move, which saw the collapse of the PH government two years ago,” he said.
“Therefore, they have to do it very carefully and in a way that will not interfere with support for the opposition.”
He said Bersatu would help draw support from rural Malay voters.
Citing PH’s heavy losses in three state elections in which opposition parties fought each other, Chin warned that disunity in the opposition would mean victory for BN in the general election.
In the Johor polls, BN stormed to victory by winning 40 seats. PH won 12, Perikatan Nasional three and Muda one.
PH also did poorly at the Melaka and Sarawak polls, winning five and two seats, respectively.
But Council of Professors fellow Jeniri Amir told FMT he believed votes for the opposition would split if PKR were to work with Bersatu because the Sheraton Move had caused too much damage.
“It will aggravate matters as Bersatu has not only betrayed PH but also the people’s mandate,” he said. “Bersatu is also not a strong party in terms of machinery and the party has very few members.”
Instead, he said, PKR should work with other parties like Muda and Warisan.