Forming Pakatan Harapan was once ‘mission impossible', says Nik Nazmi
PETALING JAYA : The formation of Pakatan Harapan (PH) was once seen as 'mission impossible', former PKR vice-president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said, recalling the political uncertainty that gripped the party following the imprisonment of its president Anwar Ibrahim.
Speaking about the events leading up to the 2018 general election, Nik Nazmi said many in PKR believed that the party had little chance of surviving without its long-time ally PAS.
'People said you could kiss GE14 goodbye because we couldn't win without PAS, as we didn't have the Malay votes at the time,' he said in the latest episode of the Lebih Masa podcast.
Anwar was jailed in 2015 after being sentenced to five years in prison on sodomy charges.
Nik Nazmi said the situation forced PKR to take a major political gamble and help form a new coalition from the ground up.
From 2008 to 2015, PKR was part of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition which included DAP and PAS. The coalition later dissolved due to internal conflicts between DAP and PAS.
'Our situation with PAS became untenable. We had to manoeuvre for the party to stand on its own, and then form PH,' Nik Nazmi said.
PH eventually brought together PKR, DAP, Amanah, and later Bersatu. Despite doubts about its viability, the coalition won the 2018 general election, ending Barisan Nasional's six-decade rule.
In February 2020, Bersatu left the coalition as part of what was known as the Sheraton Move.
Nik Nazmi, who served as natural resources and environmental sustainability minister until his resignation in June, also reflected on his time in government.
He said one of his key achievements was drafting the climate change bill, which was presented to the Cabinet.
'It's a game changer,' he said, adding that his successor should continue pushing the legislation forward.
The role of the natural resources and environmental sustainability minister is currently being filled by plantation and commodities minister Johari Ghani.
The climate change bill, aimed at strengthening Malaysia's long-term climate response, is expected to be tabled in Parliament next month.
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