Will the oval shape reverse PKR’s zero score misfortunes?

PKR’s strategy to detach itself from Pakatan Harapan (PH) at the coming state polls in Johor has left political observers unconvinced that it will reverse the party’s losing streak at every state election since the last general election in 2018.

The decision, announced by PH leaders in a joint statement, came in the wake of a growing perception within the PH coalition that PKR, whose president Anwar Ibrahim doubles as both chairman and prime ministerial candidate, is the weakest link in the coalition’s bid to return to power.

One DAP insider recently told MalaysiaNow of discontent with the leadership over PKR’s “constant claim to dominance” by demanding the biggest share of seats at every election.

“The past three elections, in Sabah, Melaka and Sarawak, have only shown that PKR’s ‘big brother’ role will no longer be acceptable to allies,” said the source.

But a Johor PKR leader when contacted denied that the decision showed a rift within PH.

“The move was a long time coming. We believe our party has its own set of supporters in certain constituencies, that’s all. Unlike DAP, it is not too threatened by a loss of support from its traditional vote bank,” he told MalaysiaNow on condition of anonymity.

“As for Amanah, the party has been depending on goodwill by DAP when it comes to where it can contest, as Amanah is dependent on non-Malay votes to make itself present in the legislative assembly.”

Hours after the announcement yesterday, a PKR leader defended the move to use the party’s logo, saying it was because PKR felt the need to distance itself from the two-year PH government led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, a figure despised by loyal PKR supporters.

In 2018, PH which also included Bersatu at the time, went to the polls using PKR’s oval-shaped logo, after the coalition’s application to register was denied.

The PH coalition was officially registered as a party a week after it came to federal power in 2018. It broke up two years later following Bersatu’s decision to quit the coalition, as well as a major split in PKR which saw the exodus of prominent leaders.

Doom awaits PKR in Johor?

Analysts contacted by MalaysiaNow agreed that the move by PKR to use its own logo in Johor would backfire, saying the party was staring at another major electoral defeat in the southern state.

PKR was completely wiped out in the state elections of Melaka and Sarawak late last year, while in the Sabah election a year earlier, it won only two of the seven seats it contested.

Political observer James Chin said the perception that PKR is causing political instability still lingers in the minds of voters.

He said the party’s defeat in Melaka was a form of punishment for Anwar’s role in triggering a state election during the pandemic.

Chin also said that the latest move by PKR not to include itself under the PH banner was a sign of disunity, adding this would not sit well with voters who prefer stability.

“I think Anwar is losing his political antenna,” Chin told MalaysiaNow.

“He has been misreading a lot of things lately and I think he will do a lot of damage.”

But Chin said not all is well with DAP either, pointing to recent statements coming from the party’s leaders which showed dissatisfaction with state chief Liew Chin Tong.

“So there will be problems in the urban areas, definitely,” he warned.

‘Time to put PKR logo to test’

Another analyst said it was mindboggling for PKR to now fight outside of the PH coalition.

“I mean, come on. The PH logo, it says ‘Pakatan Harapan’, what could be clearer than that?” said Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.

“Now you’re saying it leads to confusion and so on. It’s really hard to believe.”

Oh said what the party needs in the wake of its electoral defeats is “soul searching”.

“I think it’s PKR’s problem. They tend to blame the losses on everyone else and not themselves. They do not face their own problems squarely in the face, but instead tend to blame the partners,” Oh said, adding however that the PH brand has not failed.

He said PKR had been embroiled in a blame game since the Melaka election, referring to claims by leaders that its oval-shaped party symbol had more appeal among voters there than the PH logo.

“So let them test it out in Johor, and they will indeed see whether their logo is as strong as their claim,” Oh added.

He also said that PKR’s allies DAP and Amanah would be “quite disappointed”.

“Anwar as the leader of the coalition should play his role as the uniting factor. What’s the point of forming PH?” he asked.

Chin meanwhile is convinced of squabbling within PH.

Despite the claim that the coalition has finalised the allocation of seats, he said there had been no details.

“This simply means that there are many seats yet to be settled within PH. This is surprising because everybody knew the Johor election was coming.”

Additional reporting by Nur Shazreena Ali.