Its secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng said that the lack of unity among the opposition, including refusing to use a common logo or discuss the menteri besar candidate were among the factors the coalition lost in the March 12 polls.

PKR had used its own logo in the elections while Amanah and DAP contested under the PH banner.

This, he said, was compounded by the fragmentation of support with many opposition parties contesting against each other.

Lim cited Warisan’s decision to contest in all six seats PH was vying for “as well as campaigning more to defeat PH than Barisan Nasional”.

Pinning the blame of PH’s losses on lower voter turnout, he said was an exercise in self-denial aimed at covering up the refusal to understand or to address the root cause.

“Adopting an ostrich in the sand approach by not admitting weaknesses and failures of communication will not help to win the next general elections,” he said in a statement.

PH won only 12 of the 56 seats up for grabs. BN won 40 seats.

The former finance minister went on to say there was an urgent need to think as a coalition, instead of focussing solely on “the narrow interest of one’s own party”.

“A Big Tent approach of all genuine opposition parties opposed to BN, excluding Perikatan Nasional, must be pursued.”

Lim also rejected Covid-19 as an excuse for the low voter turnout, adding that “polling stations are so much safer than markets and coffee shops where members of the public mingle”.

He said the Covid-19 clusters of voters and workers involved in polling stations were trivial compared to public areas such as markets and coffee shops, where even candidates campaigning had been infected with the virus.