Lee Chean Chung’s resignation as Petaling Jaya MP has added to the challenges facing PKR, with political analyst Syaza Shukri saying the party is now struggling to retain its own lawmakers.
International Islamic University Malaysia political scientist Syaza said Lee was the fourth PKR MP to leave, meaning the party had lost more than 10% of the 31 MPs it had after the 15th General Election.
She said the development showed that PKR was in ’emergency mode’.
‘This is really bad for PKR. It is almost a bloodbath, considering that is four out of 31, more than 10 per cent.
‘On one hand it’s not a surprise or coming out of nowhere, but it shows that PKR is really in emergency mode.
‘They are not winning over new voters (based on recent elections) and can’t even keep their own MPs,’ she told the New Straits Times.
Impact on PKR and Pakatan Harapan
Syaza said PKR could argue that it still had other credible leaders, but the recent trend did not suggest voters were gravitating towards the party.
On the impact of Lee’s resignation on Pakatan Harapan, she said the coalition remained intact, although its internal dynamics could change as its component parties faced different challenges.
‘The most stable party is Amanah, but it is not that strong or influential. DAP and PKR have issues, but DAP remains the biggest party.
‘PKR, as people always say, cannot get away from the accusation that it is “Anwar’s party”, and all these resignations are not helping to create a formidable party beyond Anwar,’ she said.
Drawing a comparison with Umno’s experience after the 15th General Election, Syaza said political parties could regain support after periods of decline if they were able to rebuild confidence.
‘It is all about confidence. Umno was at the bottom back in 2018, so people left, but slowly Umno regained its confidence from continuing to be in government.
‘PKR is now at the bottom because of criticism over its administration, since the prime minister is from PKR, so people are leaving.
‘If you ask me, it is a normal swing in politics. Maybe PKR, and by extension DAP, can regain confidence once they are back in opposition again,’ she said.
Government impact seen as limited
However, Syaza said PKR’s position could still change depending on the government’s performance, particularly with the upcoming 2027 Budget and institutional reforms.
‘But right now, yes, PKR has reached its peak, unless it can turn things around with the upcoming Budget and institutional reforms,’ she said.
Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities director Mazlan Ali said Lee’s resignation as an MP and from PKR was expected and would have limited immediate impact on the government.
‘The resignation of the Petaling Jaya MP comes as no surprise; in fact, it was expected.
‘PMX (Anwar Ibrahim) and his government remain unaffected by this. PKR is already prepared for this possibility,’ he said.
Mazlan said that as long as Anwar retained the support of Sabah’s Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Sarawak’s Gabungan Parti Sarawak, he could continue serving his term until February 2028, even if more MPs aligned with Rafizi Ramli decided to resign.
‘I believe Anwar remains focused on governing the country, and the political shifts currently underway have both pros and cons.
‘Political negotiations regarding new alignments are taking place. In the future, PMX (Anwar) may be able to restore PH’s strength in preparation for the 16th General Election,’ he said.
Lee resigned as the Petaling Jaya MP on Oct 2, with the resignation taking effect immediately. He also said he would submit his official letter to leave PKR on Oct 5, after the party suspended his membership for three years on Sept 30.
