James Chin of the University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute said the effectiveness of the three committees would be largely determined by their membership and how much of the advice given would be heeded by ministers.

“If you appoint all the ‘yes men’, or if the ministers don’t listen to their advice at all, then obviously the committees are not going to work,” he said.

The secretariat of the ruling unity government coalition announced on Tuesday that a strategy committee, an election committee and a monitoring committee were being formed to streamline policies between all political parties in the coalition.

Chin said the formation of the three committees showed that Pakatan Harapan had learned from its mistakes when first in power in 2018, when “each of the component parties was doing their own thing back then”.

He said this lack of coordination might have contributed to the PH government’s downfall. “Now, they want to ensure that the unity government runs smoothly and that the parties within it do not clash.”

Another analyst, Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara, said the strategy committee could help prevent contradictory statements.

He cited the example of the different views on whether Sabah and Sarawak had been accorded the status of “region”, as claimed by deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg said last month that the change had not been gazetted and was only a proposal.

“Anwar probably hopes such contradictory statements will not occur again because the opposition may capitalise on them.”