'Hard to see BN recovering'

PETALING JAYA: It will be a gargantuan task for Barisan Nasional (BN) to pull itself out of the muddle it is currently in, following the exit of its Sarawak component parties yesterday.Political analyst Assoc Prof Dr Jeniri Amir said he does not see the opposition coalition recovering any time soon from what is its roughest patch since its formation in 1973, especially if Pakatan Harapan keeps true to its promises in its election manifesto.

"No, I don't see BN recovering in the near future. It will not be easy for them to get back all those seats they lost in the coming elections.

"If PH performs well enough, then it will be extremely difficult for BN to come back like the olden days.

It will be very tough," he said yesterday.

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BN had won 19 of the 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak, and a total of 79 seats nationwide in the 14th general election, meaning the parties' exit would leave BN with only 60 seats.

Another analyst, Prof Datuk Dr Mohammad Agus Yusoff, in agreeing with Jeniri, said the Sarawak parties would be "going nowhere" if they had stayed in BN.

Likening BN to a patient in the "intensive care unit", he said he does not foresee the pact making a comeback in the near future, unless it could prove to the rakyat it has the potential to be a formidable opposition in Parliament.

"If Umno still rides on issues such as religion, Malay rights and other matters, then they are going nowhere.

"Malaysians are already moving forward, discussing more pressing matters like the economy and transparency in the government. BN has lost badly in the last election, and if it still behaves the same, it will never go far," he said.

Meanwhile, Parti Pribumi Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is looking forward to working with the newly formed coalition for both national and state interests in accordance with the Federal Constitution and Malaysia Agreement.

"It is hoped that such cooperation between the coalition and the federal government in implementing government policies and development programmes in Sarawak will benefit the rakyat," he said.

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First-term Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil said this latest development is a clear indication of the complete failure by BN as a coalition.

"Though it is the right of any political party to leave or join a coalition, such a move must ultimately benefit the people."term benefit Sarawakians," he said when contacted.

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