Pakatan Rakyat allies should adopt the coalition's recently unveiled common policy framework (CPF) as their respective party agenda, a local academic said today.

sivamurugan pandian saiful bukhari sodomy allegations penang 020708 01 Associate Professor Sivamurugan Pandian from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) said this would strengthen unity and further boost public confidence.

To do so, he said Pakatan allies - PAS, DAP and PKR - must be prepared to shed their sectarian politics and racial inclinations.

"For example, PAS would have to abandon altogether its Islamic agenda, while DAP would have to discard its Chinese-dominated political and socio-economic agenda," said the academician.

He said only by adopting the CPF as their own, Pakatan allies and leaders could realistically demonstrate their solidarity, sincerity and commitment on manifesting and implementing the framework.

"Only then public confidence would grow for the political block," he told Malaysiakini .

Crucial for Putrajaya dream

Sivamurugan does not foresee any difficulty for the allies to adopt and adapt the CPF given that they have all agreed on it. "This is important if Pakatan wants to realise its Putrajaya dream," he said.

The academician said currently Malaysia has two equally strong political blocks checking and balancing each other.

He pointed out that Barisan Nasional's target to improve the federal government's key performance indicator (KPI) and national key results areas (NKRA) within a year posed a direct threat to Pakatan's CPF.

pakatan convention 191209 anwar guan eng hadi "Whatever strategy or policy adopted by one block would be a wake-up call for the other. Given that Pakatan's CPF looks like its future election manifesto, surely BN would try to check it with its own," he added.

Sivamurugan said since BN had the experience and federal power to implement its policies, it was crucial for Pakatan to do same within its power.

He said for a start, the Pakatan states of Penang, Kedah, Selangor and Kelantan should implement the CPF in whichever way the respective state governments could.

He said by controlling 82 parliamentary seats and four states, the opportunity existed for Pakatan to "walk its talk."

"Pakatan allies, if they are sincere in practicising their much-lauded multi-racial politics, should manifest and transform the CPF into a political reality," he said.

The CPF unveiled at the coalition's inaugural national convention touched on healthcare, human, labour and women rights, police, culture, language, social security, electoral reforms, media and public transport.

Sivamurugan said the CPF was a credible and excellent common agenda adopted and accepted by Pakatan’s top and lower level leadership.

"Although it took long for the parties to agree upon a common agenda, at least it was not too late," he said.

Avoid internal resistance

However, the USM lecturer is sceptical about how grassroots leaders and members would accept the CPF, warning that it could lead to internal resistance.

To evade this, he suggested that the Pakatan allies carry out a nationwide campaign soon to disseminate the correct information and explain the CPF to their respective members.

pakatan convention 191209 sign document "Pakatan should conduct the campaign soon to make sure the grassroots understand, accept and appreciate it. Internal support at all levels for the CPF is crucial for Pakatan to boost public confidence.

"Confusion among its own grassroots leaders and members could be manipulated and capitalised by external forces, especially BN,” he said.

"In the end, the whole purpose of the CPF would be defeated from within," he added.