GE15 anytime now, no party with winning edge, says analyst

SHAH ALAM - The new Malay-centric Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) will only divide Malay votes further during the coming general elections, said a veteran political analyst.

Professor Dr Ahmad Atory Hussain said no political party seems to have the winning edge at the moment.

Therefore, he said parties need to sit together again to agree to form a coalition government.

"When there are three blocs of Malay parties, we can expect that it will only split the Malay vote further as political parties fight for voters' attention," he said referring to Umno, Bersatu and Pas.

"Pakatan Harapan will not be able to control Putrajaya this time due to failed GE14 manifesto," he said, adding that the coalition also lost lost in Sabah, Malacca and Johor state elections.

"PKR itself is divided like Umno. PH is not strong," he told Sinar Harian on Friday.

Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had launched the GTA on Thursday, which consists of political parties, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), professionals and individuals.

GTA will contest 120 Parliamentary seats in a fight against Umno.

Meanwhile, Universiti Putra Malaysia Political Analyst Associate Professor Dr Mohd Izani Mohd Zain is of the view that GTA will not be a strong force but capable of wooing fence-sitters.

"Dr Mahathir is the central role and he still has loyal followers," he said, further stating the coalition also has academicians and professionals.

"This can attract and become a threat to Umno and the Malay party because the professionals in question can be attracted to GTA in addition to being given a role and a voice," he said.

He said that based on the trend in Johor, Pejuang and Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) were rejected, it shows it was difficult to split votes in GE15.

"In GE14, we had the issue of Datuk Seri Najib Razak and 1MDB. If GTA can play on issues and perceptions that can change voter sentiment, maybe it can break the Malay votes," he explained.