It may seem unthinkable now, but DAP and Pas were once on the same page, not too long ago.
Since their last split in 2015, they have become like lovers scorned, with nothing but hatred for each other.
Political analyst Associate Professor Dr Azeem Fazwan Ahmad Farouk said that for the sake of national unity and for the greater good of the nation, leaders of both parties need to find common ground.
“Pas emerged as the biggest winner, with 49 parliamentary seats, followed by DAP with 40 seats, in GE15,” said Azeem.
“Yet, Umno, with only 26 seats, is calling the shots in the new government.”
He added that if Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim could get both parties to mend fences, it would be his greatest achievement, as there are many good leaders in DAP and Pas who deserve to be in the Cabinet.
“It’s time Pas and DAP sat down and try to iron out their differences. It happened before, so there is no reason that they cannot do so again,” said Azeem, director of Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Centre for Policy Research and International Studies.
“Anwar got them together in two coalitions, and if he can convince them to work together again, it can heal some of the country’s wounds.
“There needs to be some form of national reconciliation of like-minded people from all parties, especially those from DAP and Pas. Both have a lot to offer,” said Azeem.
Pas is now part of Perikatan Nasional (PN) along with Bersatu and Gerakan. The coalition won 73 seats in GE15 but rejected the idea of being part of the unity government. Instead, it declared that it would remain as the Opposition bloc.
Azeem added that if both DAP and Pas can put their differences aside, they could be part of a good government, and there would be no need for a party that had been “rejected” by the voters, to play kingmaker, referring to Umno.
“Umno was also a loser in 2018 (GE14), but somehow managed to find itself in power after the ‘Sheraton Move’ in 2020, and even had a prime minister (Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob) for a short while,” said Azeem.
“Malaysia is now living with Umno’s ‘ghost’, and having its president, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, as one of Malaysia’s deputy prime ministers, is not a good image for the country.
To recap, the first time Pas and DAP joined forces was in 1999 when they teamed up with PKR and Parti Rakyat Malaysia to form Barisan Alternatif (BA) to take on Barisan Nasional in Malaysia’s 10th General Election.
That partnership ended in 2001 after DAP left, but BA continued, until the 2004 election.
Although not a member of the coalition post-2001, DAP and BA had an understanding to not field candidates against each other in the 11th General Election.
Fast-forward to 2008, and DAP and Pas again joined forces with PKR to form Pakatan Rakyat. This coalition lasted for seven years and two general elections (2008 and 2013). Sarawak National Party was a member from April 2010, to May 2011.
Before these two coalitions, DAP was in Gagasan Rakyat (1990-1996) with Semangat 46, United Sabah Party, Malaysian People’s Party, Indian Progressive Front, Malaysian Solidarity Party and two ‘Islamic’ parties – Muslim People’s Party of Malaysia, and the Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress.
Azeem added that despite often being labelled as anti-Islamic by its detractors, DAP had no issues working with Islamic parties for the good of the country in the past.
“Anwar is trying to appeal to Western countries and to show that he is a democrat, but how can he have someone who is facing 47 criminal charges be the No. 2 person in the government? What sort of message does that send out?” said Azeem.
Azeem added the results of GE15 had been an eye-opener of sorts, including how the end result may not be what the people had voted for.
“It is an eye-opener for many that our ‘first past the post’ system is flawed. This is not what people want. They voted against Umno, but its members are now part of the Cabinet.
“It’s time we think about where we want to go as a nation,” he added.
Main image: Roketkini
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