KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 — Former PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar said it will take at least a decade, or two general election cycles, for Pakatan Harapan (PH) to win back Putrajaya.
She also said she anticipates PH will struggle in the 15th general election (GE15), where it could lose most of its parliamentary and state seats, Sinar Harian reported.
The Permatang Pauh MP said, as a result, the coalition should adopt a more realistic approach and strive to offer something new and different to voters.
“I think it won’t be easy for PH to win the next general election and we must be prepared to lose two rounds before making a positive impact that will allow people to accept us once more.
“Why do I have a negative feeling about GE15? I am being very realistic because for me, it will take time to produce success, as people, and even I am still traumatised by what happened during the 22 months when PH was in power,” she was quoted as saying in an exclusive interview with the Malay daily that was published today.
Nurul Izzah said her assessment of the situation was reasonable as there are no shortcuts to success, even for political parties, and PH must regain people’s confidence that it can do better if given the chance to administer Putrajaya again.
She pointed out that she was not confident that PH will win the next general election because the coalition’s failed GE14 manifesto promises are still fresh in people’s minds.
However, Nurul Izzah noted that 22 months is considered too short a time for PH to govern effectively, compared to Barisan Nasional (BN) that was in power for six decades.
“If we want to compare PH and BN in terms of failing to fulfill their manifestos, the difference is great. If we want to evaluate how much of its manifesto BN managed to fulfill, it might get an ‘F’.
“For example, affordable houses for the B40 group were not fully realised. Now, I want to see how they will implement the RM1,500 minimum wage because, as of today, they have yet to finalise the exceptions for small and medium enterprises (SME), even though the policy will be enforced on May 1,” she said.
Nurul Izzah said that all PH leaders must demonstrate that they are an honest Opposition force, as it is not only PH parties that will lose their seats in the next general election, but also their political rivals.
“Perhaps Umno and BN are confident of winning the next general election, but they must realise it is not in the bag yet, as there are many fence-sitters.
“This is because the Johor and Melaka state elections were conducted before the country began its transition to endemicity. When all the economic sectors are reopened, I think all voters will come out to cast their ballots. So, I think every MP should be worried,” she said.
She also expressed hope that the party leadership will give her another chance to defend the Permatang Pauh seat in GE15.
“However, I will respect any decision made by the party leadership. God willing, I will do my best to ensure the Ayuh Malaysia programme touches voters’ hearts not only during the election, but also for good.
“I want to do my best to make this programme a success so that when my children become adults, they will have a better political and economic situation on their hands,” she said.
