PH mesti laksana reformasi elak kembali jadi pembangkang, kata penganalisis

Political analyst Wong Chin Huat warns that Pakatan Harapan (PH) may once again find itself a loser party should the upcoming general election be held. In the current electoral system, which favors the ruling parties, PH needs to recognize the factors contributing to their recent surge in political popularity to face the upcoming PRU.

Wong believes that BN and PN's ability to unify voters poses a significant challenge for PH. Given that the current electoral system does not favor the opposition parties, PH must capitalize on its current position in the government to implement reforms that create a more balanced political competition for all parties. If PH fails to do so, it risks losing its power during the next election, making it difficult to regain power again.

Wong notes that the 2022 PRU results indicate that around 28 out of 71 seats won by PH and Youth may fall into the hands of BN and PN if votes from the supporters of both coalitions unite. "This is based on the fact that voter turnout among PH supporters remains unchanged, he added. However, if voter turnout is low, similar to the 2019 Johor by-election or less than that of the 2018 Negeri Sembilan by-election, the seats that can be retained by PH will be fewer than 43.

Wong acknowledges the challenges ahead for PH but emphasizes the need to identify the factors behind the growth in political popularity. PH is the successor to the Pakatan Rakyat, which was formed by PKR, DAP, and PAS. After the split with the Islamic party, PKR, DAP, and the smaller PAS party formed PH together with Bersatu in 2015.

The coalition was a loser until 2018 when it capitalized on a wave of public sentiment to challenge the BN government, which had been in power for nearly 60 years. However, PH ultimately fell when Bersatu asserted its dominance before forming a new government alongside several PKR and Umno MPs. PH regained power after the 2022 PRU by forming a coalition with BN and parties from Malacca.