He said about six months ago, two PH state assemblymen were unhappy with the Perak government and had threatened to leave the coalition.
“But they won’t leave as one of them is in Mohamed Azmin Ali’s team. And the other is an ardent supporter of DAP,” he told FMT, on the condition of anonymity.
“That is settled. The two will have more to lose if they leave their parties,” he said.
Other than that, he said the remaining state assemblymen from DAP, Amanah and PKR will not abandon PH for Umno.
“They are getting full support from the state government and the ministries.
“State assemblymen are able to do a lot more for their constituents with the help of the federal government,” he said.
However, he said there had been a push to oust Perak Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu in the past as some parties wanted to put in place another candidate of their choice.
“Faizal is the MB and they cannot remove him. Everyone is aware of that, and now they just want him to work with all political parties, even if he considers them ‘arrogant’.
“They want him to show more leadership skills. If he can do this, they may be able to serve the rakyat better,” he said.
In the state assembly, PH has 30 state assemblymen while Umno has 25. PAS has three state assemblymen and there is also an independent.
Umno just needs two state assemblymen to cross over to take over the state.
In 2009, a contest for control of Perak erupted when three state assembly members, from the 32 in the Pakatan coalition, became BN-friendly independents. This changed the balance of power in the 59-member legislature.
But the source told FMT that since PH now forms the federal government, the assemblymen are unlikely to cross over.
“Zahid is playing mind games by saying Umno hopes to oust the Perak government.
“This is all for the sake of the Tanjung Piai by-election, which is just around the corner. Zahid, who is a seasoned politician, is trying to boost the confidence of BN and voters.”
He said Umno would also try to create a rift between PPBM and DAP so that the infighting between PH leaders continues and they spend their valuable time on infighting and explaining the situation to the public.
“Umno will continue to say such things, hoping the rift widens. The last year before the next general election, Umno will also start attacking PH leaders for not fulfilling their promises.”
He also cautioned PH leaders that they may end up being a one-term government if the coalition parties fail to cooperate closely with one another.
“BN is clever in handling issues. Even if they face issues, they know how to play them down and work internally to solve them.
“PH parties need to know how to work together if they want to serve the rakyat and retain their seats in the next general election,” he added.