Malaysia's opposition alliance mired in troubles

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It is the season of discontent in Pakatan Rakyat, the opposition alliance, with the top leaders in Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) constantly at odds with each other.

At the same time, Pakatan’s lead member PAS, an Islamist party, is woefully divided over whether to bed down with arch-rival United Malays National Organisation (Umno) to advance Malay unity and Islam.

In Perak, the Democratic Action Party-led opposition is no better soldiering on as the government in a make-believe world despite losing the state to Barisan National, the ruling coalition, in February.

The all-round troubles in Pakatan have considerably weakened the camaraderie in the coalition, raised suspicions among leaders and generally created doubts among the people over their political maturity and skill to manage the country if they were to capture power at federal level.

Political commenters, including some who are enthusiastic about Anwar Ibrahim and the PKR, are now openly questioning his status as a unifying national leader and the sole harbinger of national change.

For example, lawyer Haris Ibrahim, in a recent entry under the title “The end days of PKR in Sabah?” in the popular website People’s Parliament, criticised Anwar and his handling of the Sabah leadership crisis.

He also criticised Anwar for wanting a Muslim as PKR leader in Sabah on the grounds that the state is Muslim-majority although PKR’s philosophy is not about race or religion.

Sabah and Sarawak, which were touted as frontline states in his march to Putrajaya, are especially problematic for Anwar.

Historically, Anwar was the man who defeated then chief minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan in the mid-1990s and oversaw the dismantling of the PBS and the rise of Muslim political parties in the state.

But now as challenger to the throne, he needs the two states to help him reach the seat of power. However, his most recent decisions have made the political situation worse for him.

First, he appointed himself as head of Sabah and Sarawak PKR last year on the grounds that the two states have to be carefully nurtured and the Pakatan network expanded in order to capture them from Barisan Nasional.

But constant infighting in PKR in both states and between PKR and the DAP saw to it that nothing useful by way of organisation took place there.

PKR’s defeat in the April 7 Batang Ai by-election showed the great difficulties Pakatan face in Sarawak and in Sabah.

The setbacks in both states simply kept piling up.

In Sarawak, Ngemeh assemblyman Gabriel Adit was hailed as the man who would deliver the state to Pakatan. However, several months on, he has all but quit PKR and is likely to form his own party.

In Sabah, Anwar passed the PKR chairman’s post to his controversial acolyte vice-president Azmin Ali whose alleged “conceited and arrogant style” virtually saw Sabah PKR close to breaking up.

Last week, Anwar made the situation worse by appointing his loyalist Ahmad Thamrin Jaini as the new Sabah PKR chief, by-passing prominent Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, former Berjaya star Ansari Abdullah and another PKR luminary in Kota Kinabalu, Christina Liew.

All three are deeply upset with the selection of Thamrin, who they say is too much an “Islamic person” to unite the different ethnic groups in Sabah.

As a consequence of choosing Thamrin, Dr Jeffery has resigned as PKR vice-president but remains a party member, but, by the looks of it, not for long.

Anwar is desperately sending emissaries to both Dr Jeffrey and Liew to urge them not to do “anything hasty”. But the damage is done, with Dr Jeffrey telling The Star he has burnt “all his bridges”.

Anwar’s dream of reaching Putrajaya would be all but dashed if Dr Jeffrey quits, taking with him at least 15 PKR divisions which are mostly led by non-Muslims.

These leaders had openly supported Dr Jeffrey and demanded that he be made Sabah PKR chairman.

There are similar troubles closer to home, with the well-regarded Zaid Ibrahim taking six months’ leave after losing a battle with Azmin for the ears of the boss.

It would be a major loss for PKR if Zaid does not return and decides to move on.

Lately, another well-regarded PKR luminary, secretary general Salehuddin Hashim, is said to have handed in his resignation letter to Anwar.

Salehuddin has denied resigning but his disagreements with Anwar over the numerous “not logical” decisions from the party supremo have pushed him to the wall, PKR sources said.

“Salehuddin is tired of the backbiting and the favouritism in Anwar’s decisions,” a PKR source said, adding that the “frustration level” in the top PKR leadership is rising dramatically.

Haris, equally exasperated with Anwar and the PKR over the “Sabah and Sarawak situations”, asked several pertinent questions of Anwar in recent postings.

One was whether Anwar was “truly the changed man from your Umno days or are you a closet Malay nationalist (in the way you are making politically expedient decisions)?”

It is a question many people are also asking.