Malaysian opposition faces split over Anwar Ibrahim's bid to appoint wife chief minister
Anwar Ibrahim's move to appoint his wife, Wan Azizah, chief minister of Selangor state riles Islamic coalition party, which backs incumbent
Malaysia's opposition coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim is in danger of falling apart amid a tussle with his political partners over his bid to appoint his wife chief minister of Selangor, the country's richest state.
The three-party People's Coalition, or Pakatan Rakyat, is facing what opposition politicians say is the most "serious threat" to its existence.
Any weakening or break-up of the coalition would make voters lose faith in the opposition, which made its biggest gains ever in last year's general elections, warned political analysts.
We are in a very sorry state … a self-destructive mood … The end is here
"We (Pakatan Rakyat) are in a very sorry state … a self-destructive mood, and I don't see any circuit breaker to stop it. The end is here," Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad from the Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS), told the South China Morning Post.
"Pakatan is falling apart. It will eventually happen," Dzulkefly added.
London-trained toxicologist Dzulkefly is the executive director of the PAS research centre and a member of the party's central working committee.
PAS, which holds sway over many rural Muslim voters, is a member of the opposition coalition, along with Anwar's moderate People's Justice Party (PKR) and the secularist Democratic Action Party (DAP). The coalition has faced several disagreements since it was formed in 2008, but the latest is seen as the most serious.
"Everyone is trying to play to their own gallery. No one is arresting the fall. And the government is spinning it to their advantage," says Dzulkefly. "We have no one to blame but ourselves for this."