Expect turmoil in Umno and cracks in Pas-Bersatu if they fail in elections

SHAH ALAM - Umno will face internal turmoil while Bersatu and Pas are expected to face cracks if they fail to win in the state elections on Aug 12.

Malaysia Nusa Research Centre Political Studies Researcher Arif Anwar Lokmanol Hakim said both parties craved the states to be governed with their respective parties and at the same time they wanted to defend their victories in states.

He said the loss of Pakatan Harapan (PH) and BN would cause Umno to have an internal turmoil.

“There will be attempts to topple the Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and it would mark the end of the party’s history making it difficult to rise and become rulers again.

However, if Umno is led by someone with a 'politically real' mindset, it has the potential to attract support for PN and transform the party into a marginal entity that merely exists for survival," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Arif Anwar added PH-BN’s failure would cause the government to be shaken with the withdrawal of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS)

He said if the opposite were to happens and PH-BN wins the opposition seats and PN fails to remain in the current states it would mean a brighter future for Umno and Zahid.

“PH-BN’s success and the failure of PN would cause Pas and Bersatu to fight amongst themselves and cause discord in PN.

“Many opposition leaders such as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, his proxies and PN leaderships would be charged in court,” he explained.