KUALA LUMPUR: Political parties should realise that no single party can win in a general election and public spats will only serve to mar their reputation, analysts reminded politicians yesterday.
Pointing out that tolerance should not be mere lip service, they said trust issues were endemic to alliances formed through crossovers.
Hence, one party's aspiration to score a big victory on its own and the ambition to monopolise the lion's share of parliamentary seats were unrealistic, said Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian.
"The days of winning big numbers are over.
"At some point, all political leaders will have to work together. The situation is different than before.
"People used to be loyal to parties. Now, they are at a crossroads.
"They don't uphold political ideologies anymore. They have many questions in their minds.
"Which means, political leaders need to loosen their attacks on each other.
"You don't want to carry too much baggage in the future when you may have no choice but to cooperate with your current enemies."
Several Umno leaders had been loud in rejecting Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) over electoral seats as they echoed the sentiment reportedly made by 189 of the party's division leaders.
The row with Bersatu culminated in the Umno Supreme Council approving motions proposed by division leaders to be raised at the party's annual general assembly on Jan 31.
Apart from ceasing ties with Bersatu, some of the motions include boosting Umno's relations with Pas through the Muafakat Nasional pact and pushing for the 15th General Election to be held before the end of the first quarter.
Observers said Umno's aggressiveness in calling for snap polls had led to its leaders making callous remarks that sparked controversies and public criticism.
Among them was Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan's contention that only those who were "highly educated" would understand the need for snap polls.
He said this during a talk organised by Tanjung Malim Umno, which was posted on Umno Online's Facebook page.
Ahmad had allegedly said a coconut grater who had studied at a university or possessed a PhD would have a better opinion of snap polls. The "coconut grater" had disagreed with the call for a general election when interviewed on television.
Another analyst, Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi, said politicians must realise that voters were more discerning since GE14, adding that public spats would serve to only ruin their reputation.
"They need to cooperate. At the most, I would say Umno could get 70 seats (in GE15), and maybe PKR could get 60.
"DAP will maintain the same number it has now (42), while Pas (18), Bersatu (31) and other parties will lose or gain two or three seats from what they have now.
He said the political arena would stabilise once its players begin to compromise on issues instead of gunning for self-serving interests.
"So, not one party can enter Putrajaya on its own. Firstly, this means they need to identify their problems.
"Secondly, accept the reality, and thirdly, do something about it. For example, the biggest challenge for parties under the PN government is on seat allocations.
"If they can't resolve this, I won't be surprised if Umno, Pas and Bersatu end up in multiple-cornered fights in almost all seats, just like in 2018."