KUALA LUMPUR (Politics Now!) - Bersatu's Dr Afif Bahardin has denied speculation his party is negotiating to join Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's unity government, even as talk sizzles that former Penang deputy chief minister II – Dr. P Ramasamy – is embarking on the reverse trail to join the opposition after quitting the DAP last month.
"Nonsense," was Dr Afif's curt response to Politics Now!
Nonetheless to Anwar loyalists, Ramasamy - perceived as a long-time stalwart of the reformist movement championed by Pakatan Harapan which leads the unity government - might be making the biggest mistake of his political life.
Apparently, former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin is also considering a move to ally Bersatu, the party he founded after being sacked from Umno, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's unity government.
"Muhyiddin, facing corruption charges, has his attention glued to the discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) which was granted to UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi recently. If PM Anwar could “forgive” Zahid, who is also the deputy prime minister, Muhyiddin believes he could extract the same concession. With the plan to topple Anwar government shattered, Bersatu has to move on," writes news portal Finance Twitter..
"Muhyiddin understood more than anyone that in politics, there are no permanent enemies or permanent friends – only permanent interests. If he could stunningly betray friends and allies in 2020, leading to the collapse of the democratically-elected Pakatan Harapan government, the traitor can definitely repeat it again today. Besides, he has nothing to lose by leaving the opposition."
DENIALS
Similar accusations have sprung up before and Bersatu leaders have repeatedly denied them. The catalysts for the latest batch of rumors are likely to be tied to a perceived snub by PAS chief Hadi Awang, who appointed another ex-prime minister Mahathir Mohamad as economic and investment adviser to the 4 state governments run by PAS in Kelantan, Kedah, Perlis and Terengganu.
The shock appointment was seen to be a slap in the face to Muhyiddin, with Hadi signaling that he prefers Mahathir to be the de-facto leader of the opposition. While Muhyiddin is currently the head of Perikatan Nasional or PN, PAS is the most powerful component party in the opposition pact holding at least 43 of the 74 seats won by PN in the last year's general election. Bersatu, which holds 31, is seen as already flailing
"Hadi obviously was sending a message to Muhyiddin that he is just a pawn in the game, playing second fiddle and can only ask how high when asked to jump," claims the report.
Muhyiddin and Bersatu are also believed to have lost hope after failing to win in the recent Pulai parliamentary seat and Simpang Jeram state seat elections in Johor. The alleged plan was for Umno's Hishammuddin Hussein to trigger a change in government by leading 15 MPs, including 2 lawmakers from Anwar’ own PKR party into the opposition if PN had managed to wrest the 2 seats.
"There’s no guarantee that all the 15 MPs who resign and re-contest will win back their respective seats. Even Hishammuddin wasn’t sure he can retain Sembrong seat if he were to contest under Perikatan Nasional," claims the report.
"Another issue was that nobody knows if the “green wave” will repeat itself. It was because of this reason that the plan was temporarily suspended. If the tsunami does not happen, there was no reason to commit “kamikaze” by resigning only to lose all the 15 MPs."
'YESTERDAY'S BREAD' ANWAR RUNNING OUT OF OPTIONS
As for Anwar, he is seen to be 'yesterday's news' with Malay voters who distrust him and his unity government which relies on collaboration with the Chinese-dominated DAP party to stay in power.
"It might be a good idea for PM Anwar, currently struggling to win over conservative Malays, to consider Bersatu as Muhyiddin desperately wanted to keep his party intact. Armed with 31 MPs, Bersatu is as powerful as Barisan Nasional (30 MPs). It would also provide the government with more than a super-majority in the parliament, boosting the country’s political stability. Crucially, it breaks up the opposition."
"More importantly, Bersatu can be used to check and balance UMNO, who has been holding the premier hostage with damaging demands such as a royal pardon for crooked Najib Razak and constant attacks on ally DAP in attempts to fish for Malay votes. In the event of an UMNO betrayal, Bersatu possesses the numbers to ensure a simple majority in the government."
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