SHAH ALAM – Internal attacks on Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi may be a cause for concern for Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders.
Senior lecturer in Political Science from Mara University of Technology, Dr Ariff Aizuddin Azlan said internal attacks will give ‘political ammunition’ to the opposition to attack the unity government.
He said the feud can be resolved if the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim shows excellent performance in the six state elections to be held this year.
He said the 2022 Umno general assembly decision not to contest the two top post has given a huge implication not only to Zahid but to Umno, PH and the unity government.
"However, with people’s perception of Zahid's court cases, of course the opposition will profit from it.
"There will be more pressure and internal attacks within Umno and PH.
"Finally, the one who benefit from these attacks is the opposition party. They will strengthen their narrative that the unity government has no unity and is unstable,” he told Sinar.
He said such perception may not be in favour of PH and BN during the state elections as there may be struggle for both coalitions to clear the air.
"People will bash BN or Umno and these overflow will be felt by PH.
"Most likely, there will be a distinct increase of votes towards Perikatan Nasional (PN).
"I see the possibility that they will use the decision in Umno general assembly as a base attack towards the unity government,” he added.