A new Malaysian opposition alliance was launched today, three months after its forerunner collapsed over policy disputes, as embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak faces rising accusations of corruption and economic mismanagement.
The three-party Pakatan Harapan, or Alliance of Hope, said it would aim to end a "leadership crisis" afflicting Malaysia, and declared jailed former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim as its prime ministerial choice.
"The country's leadership crisis and financial pressure on people due to mismanagement by Najib Razak requires an immediate solution," the alliance said in a statement.
"The longer the crisis lasts, the common people will continue to fall victim and bear the economic burden."
The new group replaces the Pakatan Rakyat, or People's Pact, a three-party coalition formed in 2008 that was the most successful opposition movement in multi-racial Malaysia's history.
It won a majority of popular votes cast in 2013 general elections but fell short of enough parliament seats to take power.
But Pakatan Rakyat fell apart in June, primarily over divisions sparked by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party's (PAS) advocacy of harsh Islamic criminal punishments in a state it governs.
PAS defectors have since formed the National Trust Party, which has joined with previous opposition alliance members -- the ethnic Chinese-based Democratic Action Party, and the multi-ethnic People's Justice Party -- in the new union.
The next elections are due by early 2018, with Najib's ruling coalition seeking to extend its nearly six-decade reign.
The opposition bloc said Anwar would be its choice as national leader if it won power, but it remains to be seen whether he will be free then.
Anwar was jailed in February for five years on a sodomy charge that has drawn international criticism, including from Washington.
Besides criticism over the Anwar case, Najib is currently facing a cascade of overseas investigations into huge sums missing from a state-owned firm, and mysterious transfers of nearly USD 700 million into his own bank accounts.
Tan Seng Keat, a political analyst with the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research, said Najib's troubles afford a golden opportunity for the new opposition coalition to make gains, but it remains to be seen whether the new alliance can gain sufficient traction.
