“PSEUDO COOPERATION”
Bersatu, an erstwhile PN component party, is trying to forge its own political path after falling out with PAS over the running of PN.
On Thursday, Bersatu president Muhyiddin and other lawmakers signed an agreement to support Anwar’s government on key parliamentary votes, raising speculation that Bersatu could work with PH in the Melaka election.
But Muhyiddin said the confidence and supply agreement did not signal an electoral pact, and on Friday local media reported that PH had decided to go solo after discussions on a PH Plus arrangement with Bersatu fell through.
Still, PH has avoided fielding candidates in four seats – Lendu, Sungai Udang, Pantai Kundor and Bemban – that Bersatu will contest.
Azmi Hassan, a senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, said “there is some sort of pseudo cooperation” going on between PH and Bersatu.
“True enough, there is some testing right now (even though) DAP says (PH) should not have worked together with Bersatu because of backstabbing,” he told CNA.
Azmi was referring to how the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a PH component party, had opposed cooperation with Bersatu after the latter orchestrated a political manoeuvre known as the “Sheraton Move” in February 2020.
Bersatu was originally a key component of the PH coalition that won the 2018 General Election, ending BN’s long rule. But Bersatu withdrew from PH in 2020, triggering the collapse of the federal government and the eventual resignation of then-premier Mahathir Mohamad.
“I think Pakatan Harapan is still trying to figure out whether Bersatu can deliver the Malay votes,” Azmi added.
“Both Bersatu and Pakatan Harapan are trying to figure out the benefits of working with each other in the future.”
James Chin, an Asian studies professor at the University of Tasmania, said “it is quite obvious that there is an informal understanding between Bersatu and PH”.
“This is not surprising because Bersatu has burnt its bridges with PAS,” he told CNA.
“The places where (PH and Bersatu are) confronting each other is because they couldn’t agree (on seat negotiations). Other than that, it’s obvious that they’re supporting each other.”
Whether this partnership continues to the next general election depends on how well PH and Bersatu fare in Melaka, Chin said.
“The so-called Malay tsunami between (BN lynchpin party) UMNO and PAS is on track to get at least 24 seats,” he added.
“If they’re going to lose any seats, it will be to DAP in the Chinese areas. Even when looking at the statistics, I cannot see any other party making headway.”