Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim believes that Pakatan Harapan will find it difficult to get itself registered as a political coalition with the Registar of Societies (ROS).

"I personally think that it might be difficult still, because the last thing the government wants to have is a united (opposition) front.

"So all their efforts of breaking them up will come to nothing if they register," Zaid told Malaysiakini today.

Zaid, who was responsible for getting Harapan's defunct predecessor Pakatan Rakyat registered as a coalition, noted that today's situation is slightly different.

"So, probably they may be luckier. Let's be hopeful, maybe we will get lucky this time," he said, adding that success in getting Harapan registered would be a "very pleasant surprise" for him.

Zaid, who is now a member of DAP, believes that the stumbling block in getting Harapan registered would be none other than political pressure.

Influence of the political masters

"There's no stumbling block in this country if people are prepared to act professionally and according to the law.

"The stumbling block comes when people are not willing to do their jobs and are influenced by political masters. If there is no pressure or no undue influence, then civil servants can do their jobs better," he said.

Expressing hope for the best outcome, Zaid cited Umno minister Salleh Said Keruak, who had called for a "gentleman" culture in politics.

"I think this is the first test for Salleh to make sure we are civilised and politically mature," he said.

Salleh, who is communications and multimedia minister, had advised politicians in the country to be politically civilised and non-hostile despite the differences in their political beliefs.

Pakatan Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Monday confirmed that the coalition has submitted a draft of its constitution to the ROS.

It was previously reported that Harapan had not submitted its registration forms to the ROS because it wanted to finalise its constitution first.

If the ROS rejects Harapan’s application, its component parties would be forced to use their respective party logos instead in the coming general election. This is expected to give the Barisan Nasional an advantage.

Pakatan Rakyat had, in November 2009, applied to be registered as a political coalition. Zaid, who was Pakatan Rakyat’s pro-tem committee chairperson, spearheaded the application.

However, Zaid quit PKR in November 2010. This had thrown a spanner in the works of getting Pakatan Rakyat registered.