KUCHING: It is obvious that there is a big split in Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), on the surface at least, says a political analyst.
“You have one faction on party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s corner and one supporting deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali,” said Datuk Peter Minos yesterday.
“Some have speculated that Azmin, seemingly close to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad or is liked by him, was seen as an obstacle to Anwar’s rise to the prime minister post.”
Minos said Azmin therefore had become a target for slander and defamation.
If true, he said such tactics of eliminating one’s political opponents was truly dirty. “Very bad and dirty, unfair and unclean.”
Separately, he said if Azmin was confirmed to be one of those in the sex video, “then it’s curtains for Azmin.”
Minos opined that it would be difficult for PKR to regroup and unite after this.
“The wound is very deep, which will make reconciliation very tough. Trust between the two camps is gone and maybe dead by now,” he said.
He opined that PKR could split into two although some in PKR still believed that all was well, and Anwar and Azmin would patch things up.
Some MPs and top leaders in PKR were unhappy with Anwar’s tone and move in the sex video scandal saga.
“They feel that Anwar had taken position and anti-Azmin, and this is not the way for a party leader, who should instead unite and heal wounds,” Minos added.
Minos said this episode in PKR would certainly affect Pakatan Harapan (PH).
He said if PH lost its majority in parliament, PH would lose the government.
Thus, he said oppositions Umno and PAS would gain should any PKR faction join forces with them or PH would strengthen itself if Dr Mahathir could rope in Azmin’s group plus some Umno defectors and possibly PAS MPs and other Malay MPs, in the name of Malay unity.
“One cannot tell, knowing our Malaysian politics,” Minos said.
He said Dr Mahathir had openly called for Malay unity, adding that the Prime Minister was a master in this game and one should expect anything from him.
“Should Dr Mahathir unite the Peninsula Malays and get enough numbers in parliament and can hold on as Prime Minister, then he can curb DAP’s influence in PH, seen and said as too over-bearing and domineering, much to the Peninsula Malays’ displeasure.
“Also Dr Mahathir can then last till the end of this term to 2023, enough time for him to get Azmin or his son Mukhriz to take over.
“It is not a far-fetched idea, some say. I tend to concur. In the meantime, we just have to wait and see. And keep our fingers crossed,” he added.
