On Saturday (Sep 12), after chairing a meeting on MA63 implementation, Mr Anwar said that the federal government has consented to increasing parliamentary representation from Sabah and Sarawak. He also said that Sarawak may get a federal revenue sharing arrangement in the same spirit as the one struck with Sabah.
Whether there can be any meaningful progress on these issues before GE16 remains to be seen, but it sends a clear signal to East Malaysian voters.
BUYING TIME
Faced with all these pressures, the best course of action for Mr Anwar might be to delay GE16 for as long as he can. The current parliament’s five-year mandate ends in December 2027, making the election constitutionally due by February 2028.
Even then, courting East Malaysia can only carry Mr Anwar so far. It cannot substitute for Malay votes. If indeed the UMNO-PAS pact lasts until GE16 and pays off with an outright majority, they would not even need the East Malaysian seats to form government.
Mr Anwar can buy some time by resisting an early election, but he still must find a way to break the UMNO–PAS combination if he wants to be re-elected.
Mr Zahid has already told the country what UMNO intends to do. The question now is whether Mr Anwar has a solution, and whether he still has time to use it.
James Chin is Professor of Asian Studies, University of Tasmania, and Senior Research Associate, Tun Tan Cheng Lock Institute of Social Studies, Malaysia.
