A fragile peace in PKR, but for how long?

QUESTION TIME | It took a sex video to push the simmering differences between PKR and Harapan leader Anwar Ibrahim and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali - the latter of whom is speculatively favoured by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to succeed him - and cause the pot to boil over rapidly and spill some of its contents.

So heated did the problem become that Anwar waved an olive branch that he did not need to and conceded that Azmin was not the person in the sex video, when the police have not actually cleared the latter yet. The police only said that the two participants could not be identified so far by facial recognition software.

This is a clear demonstration of disunity within PKR and Anwar’s tenuous position within the Harapan coalition, despite him being its de facto leader under that unwritten pact within the coalition whereby Mahathir became interim prime minister while Anwar is the prime minister-in-waiting.

With Azmin’s clear demonstration that he is prepared to abandon Anwar in favour of Mahathir, it is nothing less than a strengthening of Mahathir’s hand in terms of finally deciding who will succeed him. This is because there are PKR MPs who are prepared to abandon Anwar in favour of Azmin/Mahathir, although the numbers are not clear.

But as long as DAP stands steadfast in supporting Anwar and his multiracial approach to solving problems - in contrast to Mahathir’s Malay unity and ketuanan above all else - and Umno and PAS continue to be unfriendly towards Mahathir, neither Mahathir nor Anwar will rock the boat too much and risk death by drowning...