00:00Parti Wawasan Negara is sitting out the Johor polls,
00:04and analysts cannot agree if that decision shows it to be weak or strategic.
00:10Political analyst Mazlan Ali says Wawasan appears to be too dependent on PAS.
00:16He points out that PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang even officiated the party's rebranding,
00:22a clear indication that Wawasan is riding on the Islamic party's support.
00:26Opposition leader Hamza Zainuddin recently announced that Wawasan will not field any candidates in the upcoming Johor state election.
00:34Instead, he said Wawasan will make its debut in the Negeri Sembilan state polls in August.
00:40Mazlan suggests that by sitting out the Johor polls, Wawasan is positioning itself as an important strategic partner to PAS,
00:49giving due regard to PAS's decision to work with Barisan Nacional in Johor.
00:53That, he says, gives room for future cooperation between PAS and Wawasan.
00:59In contrast, analyst Awang Azman Pawi sees Wawasan's absence from Johor as a strategic consolidation of resources.
01:08He says Wawasan is still too new and lacking in grassroots machinery and candidates.
01:14Contesting now could result in heavy losses.
01:17Unlike Rafizi Ramli's Bersama, which is already testing the waters with 15 candidates,
01:22Wawasan seems content, for now, to cement its place within Perikatan Nasional.
01:28So, is Wawasan playing it safe or just playing second fiddle to PAS?
01:34That is something Johor voters may need to consider when they head to the polls on July 11th.
01:40Hanyu Zhu, FMT.
Comments