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KUALA LUMPUR – Former Umno youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin (KJ) said trust between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his deputy Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has fallen to its lowest point since the unity government was formed in 2022.
He said Barisan Nasional’s (BN) decision to cooperate with Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the Negeri Sembilan state election had caused a major rupture in BN’s relationship with Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH), despite their continued cooperation at the federal level.
Speaking on the latest episode of his Keluar Sekejap podcast, the former health minister said the development had raised questions over how long BN would continue supporting the unity government and whether its position could ultimately influence the timing of the next general election (GE).
“PH will say it was a betrayal. BN will say that, well, we just agreed to work with you at the federal level. It does not mean we are tied with you forever. Whichever way you want to look at it, there was a massive rupture,” Khairy said.
BN and PN won 25 of Negeri Sembilan’s 36 state seats in the Aug 1 election, with BN securing 18 seats and PN seven. PH won the remaining 11 seats, ending its two-term administration of the state.
Khairy said the federal government could potentially survive even if BN Members of Parliament (MPs) withdrew their support, although the situation would become considerably more fragile.
“I feel the government could survive even if all of BN’s MPs withdrew their support, although it would still be very precarious.
“And with the rebel MPs from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and some MPs from Sabah interested in joining BN, you start seeing the numbers getting fewer and fewer. Perhaps the cards are really with Zahid,” he said.
Khairy was referring to recent developments involving PKR and Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama), including the resignation of Wong Chen as Subang MP and his subsequent move away from PKR.
Bersama is led by former PKR leaders Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
Khairy also pointed to the attendance of PKR’s Ampang and Petaling Jaya MPs Rodziah Ismail and Lee Chean Chung at Bersama’s launch in May.
Khairy further referred to speculation that independent Kudat MP Verdon Bahanda and his brother, Kota Marudu MP Wetrom Bahanda of Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat, could join BN.
He said the developments could potentially reduce the number of MPs supporting the federal government through PH while increasing Zahid’s political leverage.
On DAP’s impending decision over its position in the unity government, Khairy said he expected the party to ultimately remain in Putrajaya.
More than 4,000 DAP delegates are scheduled to vote on Sunday on whether the party should remain in the federal unity government or withdraw from the Cabinet before the end of the current parliamentary term.
Khairy said DAP delegates were likely to conclude that remaining in government would allow the party to demonstrate progress during the remaining year of the administration while preserving political stability.
“If it leaves the government, DAP could sell it as a principled move, but they have done the political calculations and internal analysis. They have found that it is better to stay in the government and demonstrate some results during the remaining year.
“They also fear that if they leave the government, it will affect the government’s stability even if they are still in support of Anwar as Prime Minister.
“I will be direct. Some have not cared from the start about ministerial positions, but some DAP leaders love being ministers.
“You can tell by how they walk around, how they pose. I mean, it is so obvious that you just love being ministers. You do not want to give up the perks of being a minister after three years,” he said.
The DAP decision comes amid growing political uncertainty following BN’s cooperation with PN at the state level while continuing to govern alongside PH federally.
The contrasting political arrangements have raised questions over whether the current unity government can maintain cohesion until the next GE, particularly as parties increasingly prepare for future electoral contests.
