Report: Once bitten, twice shy, says Nurul Izzah amid talk of GE15 tie-ups

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 — PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar has stressed that Pakatan Harapan (PH) will not work with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) or Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the 15th general election (GE15).

The Permatang Pauh MP said that the decision not to work with either entity is final, as PH will not allow itself to be “bitten by a snake again”, following the “episodes of betrayal” that took place in 2018 when the PH government fell.

She also contended that cooperation among PH, GTA and PN during GE15 was easier said than done, and stressed that her focus would not be towards that end.

“I am returning to the mandate of the leadership, which is strengthening PH. This is not an easy agenda because we went from being the Opposition to the Government to the Opposition again within the span of 22 months.

“So now we are ironing out our relationships with each other, we are targeting seats together, as one coalition. Let that be our goal heading into GE15.

“We will always put the interest of the country first, but at the same time, we don’t want to be bitten by the snake again,” she told Utusan Malaysia in an interview published today.

However, Nurul Izzah did not rule out the possibility of a “big tent” Opposition pact for GE15, saying that PH would use the people’s perception as a guide before conducting any negotiations with other parties or coalitions.

“If we negotiate, one of the prerequisites must be sincerity. So, my main focus is strengthening PH, and the balance of my focus will go towards GE15.

“Remember, the people are looking for an Opposition that has integrity before we can step up and win as the new government,” she said.

She added that cooperation between Opposition factions to form a large alliance should not be made arbitrarily.

“This isn’t an easy agenda, but now between PH’s component parties, we are smoothing it out by targeting seats that PH plans to prioritise. We are also focused on preparing for GE15.

“We know that it is important to strengthen PH because we have faced an episode of betrayal. This is driven by a retreat initiative. We are committed to working with a leader of our choice who promotes idealism,” she said.

On September 5, PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that cooperation between PH and GTA would be difficult because both coalitions have different principles.