Pakatan Harapan, Its GE14 Team, And What The New Coalition Has To Offer

According to The Malaysian Insight, which quoted sources in its report on 4 May, the coalition has named its Presidential Council to lead Pakatan Harapan in the GE14.

The report added that by deciding its line-up of top officials, the "fractious" opposition coalition has satisfied a chief demand of civil society, as they have been criticised due to their inability to agree on who are the coalition's top leaders.

According to this infographic by The Malaysian Insight, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has been named as the Chairman of Pakatan Harapan, with Lim Guan Eng, Mohamad Sabu and Muhyiddin Yassin as Vice Chairmen with Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the Adviser.

While Dr Mahathir has been named as the Adviser to the opposition coalition's presidential council, the former prime minister will not have executive powers.

The same report by The Malaysian Insight also claimed that each component party in the coalition will have three representatives in the presidential council.

PKR
Mohamed Azmin Ali, Nurul Izzah Anwar and Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

AMANAH
Salahuddin Ayub, Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa and Anuar Tahir.

DAP
Tan Kok Wai, Teresa Kok and Anthony Loke.

Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU)
Mukhriz Mahathir, Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman and Dr Shahruddin Md Salleh.

The Bersatu strategist was reported saying so by Malaysiakini last week, adding that "three or four people" cannot determine the direction of Pakatan Harapan.

Rais Hussin was possibly hinting towards Bersatu's Dr Mahathir and DAP's Kit Siang, two of the most senior leaders in the coalition, both of whom wield momentous power.

According to Rais, the final list is expected in two weeks' time, when Pakatan Harapan will be applying to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to formally register the coalition.

"The purported list merely contained names of Harapan's pro-tem committee, drawn up to fulfil requirements by the Registrar of Societies (ROS)," he told Malaysiakini.

No, the coalition, which was formed back in 2015 after the disbanding of Pakatan Rakyat, has yet to apply for its registration with the Registrar of Societies.

According to reports, Pakatan Harapan, on 30 April, had said that they will be applying to the ROS in two weeks time. Based on which, they should be applying by 14 May.

Meanwhile, Amanah's Deputy President Salahuddin Ayub, on 4 May, had said that the component parties are very serious about registering the coalition.

According to him, that's why they have decided to name the top leadership for the pro-tem committee so that that ROS has no excuse to reject their application.

While the names of Dr Mahathir and Anwar Ibrahim has been suggested by some, Pakatan Harapan has been dismissive of actually naming the candidate for the prime minister's post should the coalition win the 14th General Election.

Dr Mahathir, however, has promised that whoever the candidate is, the person will work for the people, unlike Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

"You will have a prime minister who will work as our worker, who will work for us, and who is indebted to us. We will make sure our country is well governed, by a government that pays attention to what the people really need.

"Now the whole government is working only for (Prime Minister) Najib (Razak)," the Bersatu chairman told a crowd of around 1,600 people at a fundraising dinner in Johor.

Like the issue of still not registering the coalition and not naming their PM candidate, Pakatan Harapan has also not released their manifesto, despite how little time there is left for GE14. Which could go on to cost the coalition if the people are not well versed with what they will get if they are vote for Pakatan Harapan.

However, while they have yet to release their manifesto, Dr Mahathir promises that the public will enjoy the freedom and rights accorded to them by the Federal Constitution.