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PETALING JAYA: Analysts do not expect any third force to gain ground in the political arena, even though Pakatan Harapan supporters are disappointed that the opposition coalition has not called for a bloc vote on the budget.
Oh Ei Sun of Singapore’s Institute of International Affairs said it was highly unlikely that a third force would replace PH as the opposition, adding that to speak of a “powerful” third political entity was exaggerated.
However, considering the fragmentation of Malaysian politics, he said that a political party could play the role of kingmaker, as envisioned by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad for his Pejuang party, which is awaiting registration.
He told the FMT that in other countries a third force could be well established only with a “very mature” two-party system, with frequent regime changes between the government and the opposition.
“But we don’t even have a mature two-party system, what else a third force,” he said. Both the government and the opposition may need the support of a handful of Pejuang and Mudas seats before they can go on to form the government.
“A third force is possible that functions as a kingmaker, but not really as a powerful political bloc,” he said.
Azmi Hassan, formerly of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, said that for a third force to be influential, it would have to come from another established political entity, be it PH or the government coalition.
He told the FMT that such political teams would have a hard time surviving in Malaysia due to the nature of Malaysians who are used to more established parties.
“But if several parties can unite, then the third force can be a real force in Malaysian politics,” he said.
Following the events in Dewan Rakyat on Thursday, he said that Pejuang appeared to be a good candidate for this third force, as he stood firm against the budget by calling for a block vote.
However, he said that Mahathir’s party was still a long way from being a formidable third force, considering its small number of MPs, which was further reduced with the departure of Maszlee Malik and Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
In recent years, groups such as Gerak Independent have been formed with the aim of encouraging independent candidates to stand in the next elections.
PH supporters took to social media to express their frustrations after the second reading of the 2021 budget was approved by voice vote, and the opposition coalition decided not to ask for an individual vote.
But with no other formidable option available besides the government, opposition supporters are likely to continue to back PH, albeit perhaps more cautiously now.
