Commenting on reports of a new opposition pact, named Gabungan Rakyat Saksama (Saksama) being launched soon, University of Malaya political analyst Prof Awang Azman said the coalition was a good move to unite local opposition parties in Sabah and Sarawak.

“However, they will not be able to break the hegemony of the BN in Sabah and Sarawak, unless they can join forces with DAP and PKR,” he told FMT.

He said the coalition’s seven parties, namely the Sarawak Reform Party (Star), Parti Sejahtera Angkatan Perpaduan Sabah, Pertubuhan Perpaduan Rakyat Kebangsaan Sabah, Malaysia United People’s Party, Parti Kebangsaan Sabah, Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak and the People’s Alternative Party, were considered very small parties.

Thus, the coalition would not be able to mount a serious challenge, even if they managed to recruit a strong East Malaysian leader, such as former Umno vice president Shafie Apdal.

However, Saksama could split the opposition vote that might have gone to a Pakatan Harapan candidate: a split vote would always benefit BN.

Awang said Pakatan Harapan should already begin discussions with Saksama for an electoral pact to avoid multi-cornered fights at the next general election.

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak political analyst associate professor Jeniri Amir similarly believed Saksama would not have much of an impact.

“In the past, there have been similar coalitions, but in Sabah and Sarawak, the voters will still trust BN over these small coalitions,” he told FMT.

Voters would need to know who would lead the coalition and the person’s credibility, and the coalition must be clear about how they can be an alternative to the BN.

Jeniri does not believe Saksama will be much of a threat to Pakatan Harapan, but might be able to split votes in some areas, which would only benefit the BN.

Earlier today, Sarawak Reform Party (Star) president Lina Soo was reported to have announced plans for the formation of Saksama and its registration as a formal coalition.