Lau Zhe Wei of Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia said PN needed Gerakan, a multiracial party, to show that it was inclusive despite question marks over its ability to woo non-Malay voters.

“It would be easy for PN to kick Gerakan out as it doesn’t really help (in attracting non-Malay voters), but PN would come off as more right-wing or conservative,” he told FMT.

“And in Malaysia, (such an image) would make it difficult for any coalition to last.”

Yesterday, PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari said his party might not be able to work with Gerakan at the next general election if it maintained its position on alcohol companies and Chinese schools.

Gerakan president Dominic Lau had said that the education ministry should not restrict fundraising activities by certain companies if the government does not allocate sufficient funds to all streams of schools.

Gerakan deputy president Oh Tong Keong meanwhile said that the party would not hesitate to leave PN if its coalition allies continued to display “religious extremism” and infringe on the rights of non-Muslims in the controversy.

Zhe Wei however said Gerakan was unlikely to leave PN despite its differences in opinion.

“Whether or not Gerakan speaks out, it will not have an impact on non-Malay support for PN as the non-Malays find it difficult to back the opposition coalition,” he said.

He added that Gerakan, which is Chinese-dominated, would need to be more vocal.

“This way, voters know it still exists.”

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara agreed that Gerakan would not leave PN over the issue of funding from breweries.

He said Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional had also disagreed on the issue but continued to work together.

He said the polemics could be resolved if Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim took a firm stand on the matter.

“He should not let it fester.”