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Key Highlights
Divorced, but still living together
BN ‘horologically confident’ about Chinese votes
Rafizi foresees death after Anwar, PKR pair disagree
Divorced, but still living together
A political marriage forged in the upheaval of the Sheraton Move in 2020 has finally hit the rocks, with PAS cutting ties with Bersatu in the latest plot twist in Malaysia's ever-unpredictable political drama.
Umno was the first spouse to leave the political polygamy. But as is often the case in complicated relationships, some within the party are now eyeing a reunion with PAS, the most dominant Malay-based party in Parliament with 43 seats to its name.
On Monday night, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang formally announced the party's split from Bersatu, bringing to an end a six-year partnership. The separation, however, was not framed as a complete divorce.
Hadi said the PAS' central working committee had agreed to pursue a form of political understanding and electoral cooperation with Bersatu in the name of ummah unity, ahead of the coming state elections and the 16th general election.
Despite ending their political marriage, PAS and Bersatu continue their cohabitation under the Perikatan Nasional roof, accompanied by their "insignificant others", Gerakan and MIPP.
The result is a union that is neither fully intact nor completely dissolved, adding yet another layer of intrigue to an already convoluted saga.
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Zahid ‘horologically confident’ about Chinese votes
Chinese voters, long regarded as a fixed support base for Pakatan Harapan, are now, in BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s view, shifting back towards his coalition.
He underscored his confidence with a horological metaphor.
Likening Chinese votes to a pendulum on a clock, he said that for BN, the swing was coming back around.
“But there are no clocks where (the pendulum) only swings down, it also goes up. And I am confident, and I believe that Chinese voters, little by little, are returning to BN,” said the deputy prime minister.
In what appeared to be a jibe aimed at DAP, Zahid also quipped about how a once-strong party had failed to win a single seat in a recent state election, a likely reference to its wipeout in the Sabah polls.
Come August, DAP is scheduled to hold a national congress to reassess its role in the Madani government amid waning support.
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Rafizi foresees death after Anwar, PKR pair disagree
Rafizi Ramli predicted that PKR will not survive beyond the era of its founder Anwar Ibrahim, arguing that its bureaucracy and failure to reinvent itself would ultimately land it in a coffin.
The former PKR deputy president, now leading Parti Bersama Malaysia, said PKR’s focus on securing a second term for Anwar as prime minister after the 16th general election is becoming its weakness.
Disagreeing, PKR Women’s vice-chief Loh Ker Chean and Puchong PKR division chief Zaihasri Jaafar said the party has capable leaders to carry the torch.
Loh said she is confident PKR would remain relevant for the values it upholds, rather than any single individual.
Zaihasri similarly rejected Rafizi’s characterisation, saying PKR has in fact produced multiple generations of leaders since its 1999 founding, many of whom now serve as lawmakers and in federal and state administrations.
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Views that matter
 | By Mahathir Mohd Rais |
 | By Beyond Borders & et al |
 | By P Gunasegaram |
 | By R Nadeswaran |
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