The latest conundrum to hit PKR on whether to negotiate with PAS might be able to be resolved by reorganising the ‘structural model’ that Pakatan Harapan is adopting.

This conundrum is similar to the infamous Kajang move and the Selangor menteri besar debacle. In the aftermath of that historic event, I pointed out that the consensus model adopted by Pakatan Rakyat has its limits when there is no consensus.

In that article, I suggested a “division of state and federal power” mechanism that Pakatan could have adopted to avoid future ‘non-consensus’ situations from stifling the daily functioning of the coalition.

The current issue of whether to negotiate with PAS seems to be a tussle between principled and pragmatic stances by various factions within PKR.

In reality, it is common that within any political party or coalition, there are all sorts of characters who sign up for a multitude of reasons and bear a multitude of ideologies. The success of that coalition then hinges on a good working mechanism that can quickly and effectively settle differences in an event of a split view. If the differences are settled quickly, then the coalition is seen as functional and effective by the electorate.