Political analyst Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri of Global Asia Consulting said the SG4 was meant for PAS to showcase its administrative model and potential at holding power in Putrajaya in the future.
However, he said the original composition of the SG4 was now broken following the shift in power in Perlis, in which the menteri besar’s post, then held by PAS, was taken over by a Bersatu assemblyman.
The state government’s direction would now be affected by the deliberate choice of PAS to stay out of the new government in protest against Bersatu’s actions, he said.
“Now it would be more accurate if it was called ‘SG3+1’ since there are just three PAS-led states while the other state no longer involves PAS at all,” he told FMT.
The SG4 is a grouping of the state governments of Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis, all of which were nominally led by PN, and by PAS in practice, until December.
Shukri Ramli of PAS resigned as Perlis menteri besar last month after five Bersatu assemblymen and three from PAS retracted their support, causing him to lose his majority in the state assembly.
The three PAS assemblymen had their seats vacated after their party memberships were terminated, but no by-elections will be held since the Perlis assembly will be automatically dissolved in two years.
PAS leaders condemned Bersatu over its five assemblymen’s actions and also for not taking disciplinary action against them. The Islamic party eventually opted to back the new menteri besar from Bersatu, Abu Bakar Hamzah, but not to take part in the new government.
Universiti Malaya’s Tawfiq Yaakub said the absence of a PAS representative in the Perlis government would undoubtedly weaken the cohesion of the SG4 grouping.
However, SG4’s collapse would not be earth-shattering since it has yet to produce any concrete results.
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is not on good terms with Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, serves as an adviser to the SG4.
The four PN-led state governments had set up SG4 Group Sdn Bhd with each holding a 25% stake in the company as an initiative to share each other’s wealth while collectively advancing their economies.