PN deregistration a test of strength for Gerakan, MIPP, says analyst

The deregistration of Perikatan Nasional (PN) will test whether Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) can attract support on their own or must continue relying on their coalition partners, says a political analyst.

Anbumani Balan said the loss of the PN platform would force both parties to assess their ability to win votes independently.

He said the two parties were supposed to help PN broaden its support among non-Malay voters, but their effectiveness was in question given the latest election results in Johor and Negeri Sembilan, where neither contributed any seats to PN.

“This is the time to judge political truth by the reality of votes, not perceptions, rhetoric or positions in a coalition,” he told FMT.

“If their own strength cannot be proven, a place in a coalition is merely borrowed political standing, not proof of public support.”

Gerakan held seats historically but its electoral fortunes have declined sharply over the past two decades. It now has only one elected representative: Kulim assemblyman Wong Chia Zhen in Kedah.

Meanwhile, MIPP won none of the five seats it contested in its Johor electoral debut this year. All five MIPP candidates also lost their deposits.

The Registrar of Societies (RoS) deregistered PN on Tuesday after finding that the coalition’s explanation failed to rebut the grounds stated in an earlier notice.

The RoS acted on a complaint by Bersatu, which alleged it was denied the right to attend, speak and vote at the PN Supreme Council meeting on July 16.

PN secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan was reported as saying the coalition would challenge the deregistration and seek a stay of its implementation.

Lau Zhe Wei of International Islamic University Malaysia, however, did not see the deregistration causing any drastic change to the political landscape, as PN’s component parties could still form new partnerships.

He said the more pressing questions were what form that cooperation would take and which logo would be used in elections, including the upcoming polls in Melaka.

Lau said Gerakan and MIPP had so far shown a tendency to stay with PAS, and could use the logo of PAS or Wawasan if they did not want to contest under their own.

“If they are truly intent on being with PAS, they can do so at any time,” he said.

Melaka will head to the polls on Nov 14, with nomination on Oct 31 and early voting on Nov 10.

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