Pre-election political crisis in Malaysia: Registration of the main opposition alliance canceled

A remarkable development took place in Malaysia before the Malacca state elections to be held on November 14. The official registration of the country's main opposition alliance, Perikatan Nasional (PN), was canceled on October 20 following disagreements between the political parties that formed the alliance.

In its statement, the Malaysian Registry of Societies (RoS) stated that the response to the warning previously sent to the alliance was not sufficient and the reasons for canceling the registration could not be refuted.

It was noteworthy that the decision was taken at a time when the government led by Prime Minister Enver Ibrahim was also facing political disagreements and the possibility of early general elections was on the agenda.

At the center of the conflict within Perikatan Nasional is the leadership struggle between the conservative Islamist Party PAS and the Malay nationalist Bersatu.

PAS, which is the single party with the most MPs in Malaysia's 222-seat parliament, and Bersatu, led by former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, clashed over the management of the alliance.

Bersatu filed an official complaint with the Registry of Associations, stating that it was not invited to the PN Supreme Council meeting held in July.

The party management argued that his exclusion from the meeting was against the alliance's internal regulations.

As a result of the investigation initiated following the complaint, the institution sent an official warning to the alliance on September 22. The defense submitted by PN on October 12 was not found sufficient.

IT HAD BEEN DIFFICULT FOR THE ALLIANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ELECTIONS UNDER A COMMON ROOF

The decision may prevent political parties under the umbrella of Perikatan Nasional from competing with a common name and symbol in the upcoming elections.

The cancellation of the official registration of the alliance formed by PAS, Bersatu and other smaller parties may require the opposition to re-set its election strategy.

The development, especially before the Malacca state elections to be held on 14 November, increased the political uncertainty within the alliance.

PN General Secretary and PAS executive Takiyuddin Hassan reacted to the cancellation of registration and announced that they would launch a legal fight against the decision.

Arguing that the decision was taken for political reasons, Hassan said, "PN condemns this action as an attempt to weaken political rivals before the Malacca elections."

Hassan stated that they will apply to the court to stop the implementation of the decision and will process the objection before the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

It was stated that the alliance will continue its negotiations on which party symbol will be used in the elections.

DISPUTES ARE ALSO EXPERIENCED IN THE GOVERNING ALLIANCE

Political uncertainty in Malaysia is not limited to the opposition. There are also differences of opinion in the multi-party ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar Ibrahim's Pakatan Harapan alliance and Barisan Nasional, one of the country's well-established political formations, continue to be political rivals in some states, although they act together in the central government.

It has been reported that negotiations are being held between Barisan Nasional, led by former Prime Minister Najib Razak's party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), and the Islamist PAS, regarding cooperation in the Malacca elections.

It is not yet clear whether these contacts will turn into a more comprehensive electoral alliance in the future.

Disagreements in Prime Minister Enver Ibrahim's ruling coalition have also brought the possibility of early general elections to the agenda.

After the government was defeated in two regional elections held during the year, the Malacca elections on November 14 are seen as a new political test for the government.

The cancellation of the registration of the opposition alliance and the differences in election strategy between the ruling parties increase the uncertainty about the upcoming period in Malaysian politics.