Wong Chin Huat of Sunway University said this would help temper expectations that PH would be able to form the government by itself with a comfortable majority in the next general election (GE15), which he added, some were “daydreaming” about.
He called for opposition leaders to educate their grassroots and prepare them to face the “new reality and its brutal implication”.
DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook had earlier predicted that there would be no dominant party post-GE15.
According to Wong, PH did not win the majority vote in 2018 but only came to power thanks to a split in votes between Barisan Nasional and PAS in most constituencies.
He also called for PH to highlight its success, despite being in the opposition, in pushing for reforms via a memorandum of understanding (MoU) it signed with Putrajaya last year.
This included the passing of an anti-hopping Bill and former prime minister Najib Razak’s graft conviction, which suggested that the government did not interfere in the judiciary.
Wong said that most PH supporters were happy with these two events.
“And both were unlikely without the MoU,” he told FMT.
However, he added, it was unfortunate that many PH leaders and grassroots still fail to recognise the coalition’s effectiveness as the opposition under the cross-party deal.
Wong also believes that another reason PH has lost its shine while in the opposition was its failure to offer serious alternatives in policies and on the issue of leadership.
He said there was nothing in the MoU that stops PH from setting up a shadow cabinet, formulating alternative policies, and presenting an alternative budget.
On whether PH would be more effective by being part of a mixed government or remain an “opposition with dignity”, Wong said it was “definitely the former”.
But to do that, PH must win enough seats, which, he said, was only possible if their supporters came out in droves to vote in GE15.
“That would help make it a senior partner in a mixed government and present a pragmatic governance programme,” he added.
Earlier this year, PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli said it was better for PH to settle for remaining in the opposition “with dignity” than to trumpet their optimism about winning GE15.