When Bersatu and PKR defectors pulled out of Pakatan Harapan and crossed the floor to join a coalition with Umno and PAS, it seemed like the dawn of a new dominant Malay-Muslim alliance that was in pole position for a lengthy rule.

However, in the months that followed, numerous fissures have formed between the would-be allies and Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was even publicly held to ransom by senior Umno leaders.

Political scientist Wong Chin Huat says that far from being a marriage made in heaven, the tie-up has been fraught with competition for power.

“The year 2020 demonstrates a simple counter-intuitive fact in politics that many fail to understand - unity is...