Bersatu in ‘big trouble’ with Ismail as PM, says analyst

 PETALING JAYA: Bersatu is in “big trouble” now following Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s appointment as the nation’s ninth prime minister, an analyst predicts.

James Chin of the University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute said this was because Bersatu no longer controlled the office of the prime minister.

I suspect that once the government is stabilised, Umno will likely spend energy and resources to either absorb Bersatu or destroy it in the next general election,” he said in an interview with Astro Awani tonight.

Chin also said the next general election could be held in the second half of next year.

James Chin.

“So, he (Ismail) will have a few months of a ‘honeymoon’ where no one will disturb him.”

Chin also said that GPS, the ruling coalition in Sarawak, were the biggest winners in the recent political crisis.

He explained when the opposition rejected Muhyiddin’s overtures to them days prior to his resignation, “both sides were scrambling” to woo the GPS bloc, which has 18 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat.

When it was clear that GPS would not back opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim or Warisan president Shafie Apdal, Umno had to broker a “special deal” to woo the coalition.

“So, I think GPS will do very well. I expect them to retain the same level of representation in the next government and there is also talk they may even get the deputy prime minister post.”

To a question on what the opposition could have done to wrest Putrajaya back from Perikatan Nasional, Chin said Anwar could have tried to form a new government by ditching DAP.

“From his perspective, it was not doable.”

FMT