Malaysia’s Perikatan Nasional opposition coalition did indeed inflict some political damage on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government in the state assembly elections last weekend, but the road ahead is set to be bumpy, says CNA's Leslie Lopez.
in the PAS-controlled state between now and the next election will present a separate set of challenges for the opposition coalition. Much of it will boil down to which side is able to deliver on the economy.
All four states are among Malaysia’s most economically backward. They struggle annually with serious flooding and suffer from woeful infrastructure, including serious shortcomings in basic amenities, such as the supply of clean water. The conservative party has failed to meld its religious ideals with sound economic management, forcing the younger population to leave to seek economic opportunities in the urban states of Selangor, Penang and even Singapore.
Without a powerbase, the party now faces an uphill task to remain politically relevant until the next general election.that are bound to be a serious distraction to performing as a credible opposition and staying cohesive. Apart from Mr Muhyiddin, opposition leader Hamzah Zainuddin and Azmin Ali, a former senior politician in Mr Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat party, Bersatu does not have a second echelon leadership line-up.
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