Anwar S Budget Strategy Puts Pakatan Between A Rock And A Hard Place Say Analysts

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Blocking the Budget would have been akin to political suicide, as Anwar and the Opposition risked alienating voters already distrustful of his coalition.
(MMO) – Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s credibility took a big hit after last Thursday’s Budget 2021 debacle in Parliament, analysts said.
This could potentially have an adverse effect on Anwar’s standing as Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) prime minister of choice, they suggested, pointing to the flak directed at the opposition coalition on social media.
Many PH supporters and sympathisers who wanted Opposition lawmakers to test Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s majority in Parliament said they were peeved by the coalition’s action, and accused them of pandering or cowardice.
But Anwar may have had no choice, argued Datuk Mohamad Abu Bakar, political scientist at Universiti Malaya
With several recent opinion polls tilting favourably towards Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Mohamad suggested that blocking the Budget would have been akin to political suicide, as Anwar and the Opposition risked alienating voters already distrustful of his coalition.
“Anwar and PH were able to salvage their position in the face of this challenge because they were up against great odds in view of the popular support for the Budget,” he said.
“I say salvage because they stood to lose more. So in some ways it’s a great tactical move on their (Muhyiddin and the Perikatan Nasional government) part. But whether or not intentional I’m not sure.”
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