Bersatu’s proposal for a “United Opposition Front” is likely to fall flat, according to an analyst.
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said the proposal aims to unite Bersatu and other Perikatan Nasional (PN) components with all parties and groups opposed to the current government.
“But these small parties and groups are not significant enough to attract more votes to help the opposition topple the government.
“That’s why I think it won’t make much of a difference even if PN can get all the parties outside of government to team up with it,” he told FMT.
Azmi said parties such as Muda and Pejuang and the various other splinter groups were so small that their inclusion in the United Opposition Front would make little to no difference.
Muda holds only two seats, both in Johor—-the Muar parliamentary seat and the Puteri Wangsa state seat. Pejuang, meanwhile, fared poorly at the 15th general election (GE15), and failed to secure any parliamentary or state seat.
Other possible allies would include Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra), led by Ibrahim Ali, which also lost in GE15, and Urimai, whose application to register as a political party was rejected by the Registrar of Societies.
Urimai, led by former DAP veteran P Ramasamy, is challenging that decision in ongoing judicial review proceedings.
Parti Sosialis Malaysia contested the Ayer Kuning by-election in April but its candidate, KS Bawani, lost to Barisan Nasional’s Yusri Bakir in a three-cornered fight.
In June, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad sought to rally the Malays under a single broad-based movement, ostensibly to “restore Malay power” in government.
The big-tent alliance has brought together PAS, Bersatu and other Malay-centric forces. Mahathir also said Umno members were welcome in their personal capacity.
At its Supreme Council meeting on Tuesday, Bersatu authorised party president Muhyiddin Yassin to spearhead efforts to build ties with parties outside the government bloc to form a united opposition front.
The party’s secretary-general Azmin Ali said the initiative would entail discussions aimed at forging a unified position on issues concerning the rakyat’s interests.
The proposal is expected to be discussed at a PN Supreme Council meeting scheduled for this weekend.
Yesterday evening, Muhyiddin met with leaders from political parties outside the government bloc, including Pejuang president Mukhriz Mahathir, acting Muda president Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz, Urimai chairman P Ramasamy and Parti Sosialis Malaysia deputy chairman S Arutchelvan among others.
Non-Malay voters unconvinced
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman’s Chin Yee Mun believes Bersatu’s proposal is part of a strategic plan to reassert PN’s position in the political landscape.
“The Malay unity slogan has lost its lustre and recently Muhyiddin has expressed his intention to make PN more approachable to non-Muslim voters.
“If so, it is a well-thought after decision, particularly when the unity government’s recent policies and actions have raised some concerns among Malaysians, such as issues with the expansion of the sales and service tax, rising cost of living, and appointment of senior judges,” he said.
As to whether it will work, he said it may appeal to the Malay-Muslim segment who are not already supporters of PN.
“For the non-Malays and non-Muslim segments, they will need more convincing. As of now the non-Malay, non-Muslim parties are aligned with the unity government,” he added.
