At one level, Pakatan Rakyat politicians are openly at war with each other but at another, the leaders are planning to commit the parties to a formal coalition.
By JOCELINE TAN, The Star
IT is no secret how PAS strongman Datuk Mustafa Ali feels about Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Mustafa, the secretary-general of PAS, has always been lukewarm towards Anwar and, at one point, was critical of the Opposition leader.
Saying ‘I do’: Anwar (far left) started the ball rolling to make Pakatan Rakyat a formal coalition along the lines of the Barisan Nasional. He is seen here with (from right) PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang, Lim and PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa during the Permatang Pasir campaign. But the two men recently put up an impressive united front in a move to cement Pakatan Rakyat as a coalition.
Many were surprised to see Anwar and Mustafa sitting so cosily together at a Pakatan presidential council meeting earlier last week. Mustafa’s distinguished silvery mane was often huddled in close conference to Anwar’s well-groomed head.
The ripples between them seem to have smoothened out and the ball has begun rolling to formalise Pakatan along the lines of the Barisan Nasional.
They plan to go into the next general election as a formal alliance rather than the loose grouping that they are now.
“It’s not just about an electoral arrangement; it’s also about transforming the political environment,” said PKR’s Datuk Zaid Ibrahim who is heading the Pakatan secretariat on the coalition.
Zaid, a multi-millionaire lawyer and former Umno minister, was one of the most high-profile crossovers to PKR.
But is he about to walk into one of those Mission Impossible scenarios given the divergent issues between PAS and DAP?
“There are disagreements among some leaders but most of us work well together. As the Malays say, sedangkan lidah lagi tergigit oleh gigi (the teeth sometimes bites the tongue),” said PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar.
Zaid is hoping to hammer out some broad agreements in time for a tri-party convention by December that will be attended by about 500 delegates each from PKR, PAS and DAP.
The eventual coalition is also mulling over ideas such as direct membership by individuals and the use of a common logo.
A coalition needs to comprise at least seven parties which, according to Zaid, is an administrative requirement on the part of the Registrar of Societies.
Pakatan leaders are said to be looking at several parties, including SAPP of Sabah and obscure parties like Hamim, Akim and Berjasa, as possible partners.
A couple of the smaller parties are said to be parties in name only and one of them is believed to have only five members.
One reason for the Pakatan surge for a more committed alliance has to do with the endless hiccups and flare-ups between the component parties, especially those in Pakatan states.
Governance has not been a strong point for the Pakatan states. Apart from Kelantan, the others are still groping their way through the affairs of state.
Some of them behave and talk as though they are still the opposition. They are still trying to impress the public by attacking and criticising the Barisan rather than with their ability to govern, perform and deliver.
The Selangor government, in particular, has been awashed with talk that it will not last a full term because of infighting.
Divided over liquor ban
PAS and DAP are openly at loggerheads over whether sale of liquor should be allowed in Malay majority areas in Selangor. Some PAS hardliners even want the liquor ban to be extended to all Pakatan states.
Talk that PKR vice-president Azmin Ali would replace Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as Mentri Besar was so rife that Anwar had to quash it during a PKR supreme council meeting.
Anwar is hoping that a clear-cut mission statement governing the ties among PKR, DAP and PAS will make them more committed to each other.
That way, even if they have major differences about day-to-day issues or policies, they will still stick together as an entity.
The political tsunami in Japan that swept a completely untested party into government has also given Pakatan fresh hope.
Pakatan leaders saw the outcome of the Japanese polls as a sign of the times – that the current generation of Asians are less reticent about change than that of their parents.
The Najib factor also has something to do with Pakatan taking a serious step forward. Pakatan leaders admit that Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has been on top of his game barely months after he took over as Prime Minister.
He is experienced, alert and knows what has to be done and how to go about it. Najib is no push-over and the Pakatan boys know they are up against a political sifu.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng conceded as much in an interview with the Financial Times of London. He said that Najib would be tougher to take on than Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi because “he can get things done better than Abdullah.”
They are also worried about the way Najib has moved to secure the ground in Sabah and Sarawak.
Lim’s suggestion that Pakatan could appoint an East Malaysian as one of two deputy prime ministers was obviously aimed at countering Najib’s inroads into Sabah and Sarawak.
They have to step up their game to face a Najib-led Barisan in the next elections.
“It is not going to be easy. Some of our leaders at the state level are not comfortable about it,” said a top PAS figure.
Even the idea of using a common logo has not gone down well among PAS politicians who have asked why PAS should opt for something new when their green and white symbol is such a big part of their identity.
The confidence among some Pakatan leaders that the three key parties can reach an agreement by November seems rather optimistic.
“It sounds tough but if you go through the issues logically, it is very possible,” said DAP strategist Liew Chin Tong.
According to Liew, there are three areas to be sorted out.
The first is the agenda on political reform and democratic change, with which all three parties are in agreement.
In second place is the economic agenda which the parties also have no problem with.
Third is the religious and social agenda –and this is where the stumbling block lies.
DAP and PAS are poles apart on a number of these issues. PAS wants a clear stand on Syariah and the Islamic state, and within PAS there is a split in opinion between the hard-line and moderate segments.
Optimists like Liew think there can be a give-and-take way out of this but for others, the Islamic state is a non-negotiable issue.
Still, this is politics and, as they say, very little is impossible in politics.
It explains why Anwar is now actively engaging Mustafa, who is arguably one of the most influential men in PAS. Some even refer to him as the “de facto president” of PAS and he will play a decisive role in determining whether PAS sticks with Pakatan or goes its own way.
Ulama factor
But even as plans are afoot to bind Pakatan, Anwar is moving to make PKR a force on its own.
The consummate politician in Anwar knows that if PKR means to be the big boy of Pakatan, it has to loosen its dependence on PAS and DAP. His party needs to have its own political personalities who hold sway over the different ethnic groups.
He has given PKR’s image a boost recently with big-name imports like MCA leader Datuk Seri Chua Jui Meng and MIC’s Datuk S. S. Subramaniam.
“What he needs now is the ulama factor. He wants to attract credible Islamic scholars to PKR. Then he needn’t rely so much on PAS,” said a close associate of Anwar.
In the meantime, the three parties are still heavily dependent on one another.
The supremo is still Anwar. No one else in Pakatan has his finesse or charisma to bring the group to another level or, for that matter, to hold it together.
PKR and DAP are all ready to walk down the aisle but can Anwar persuade PAS to also say “I do" to the marriage?
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