Pakatan Harapan coalition could collapse as speculation of PKR MPs exodus rife

Could this be the end of the PH coalition as we know it?

Sulaiman Daud | February 23, 2020, 07:04 PM

The Pakatan Harapan coalition could be history in a matter of days, according to speculation from Malaysia media.

Malay Mail cited an unnamed source who claimed that Azmin Ali, PKR's deputy president and Zuraida Kamaruddin, PKR's vice-president, were prepared to lead an exodus of Members of Parliament out of the party.

The source claimed that they were present at the Sheraton Petaling Jaya hotel on Feb. 23, the same place where this alleged rogue PKR faction were meeting.

A series of meetings

Speculation is rife that Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad may be involved in a daring plan to change the Malaysian government.

Malay Mail reported that Mahathir's PPBM party also held a meeting on Feb. 23.

Redzuan Yusof, PPBM Supreme Council member, was quoted as saying that the party had met to discuss the possibility of leaving the Pakatan Harapan coalition.

If that wasn't enough, the largest opposition party, UMNO, also held a meeting on Feb. 23.

According to the Star Online, UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi called for an emergency meeting of the UMNO supreme council.

Ahmad Zahid, who served as Deputy Prime Minister under former PM Najib Razak, called for the meeting after a previously-arranged two-day retreat with fellow opposition party, PAS.

Mahathir also held a private audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who arrived at the royal palace by helicopter from Shah Alam, according to the New Straits Times.

Whats the plan?

Any coalition needs to hold 112 out of 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat (equivalent to Singapore's Parliament) to form a government.

Mahathir's PPBM holds 26 seats.

UMNO has 39, with MCA and MIC combining for a total of 42.

PAS holds 18.

The Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), an opposition alliance, holds 18 more seats.

That adds up to 104 seats -- still not enough to form a ruling majority.

But if Azmin and Zuraida can gather enough breakaway MPs, then this potential new coalition is just eight MPs away from seizing power in Putrajaya and writing a new chapter in Malaysian history.

Top image from Mahathir Mohamad's Facebook page.