Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi has downplayed the formation of a loose coalition of 11 parties outside the government bloc, describing it as just another “marriage of convenience”.
The Muafakat Nasional pact forged between PAS and Umno in 2019, which collapsed a few years into the alliance, was once also described as a “marriage of convenience” between the two parties.
In a Facebook post, Puad claimed that the grouping announced by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday was considered “loose” as no parties from Sarawak or Sabah were part of it.
“If it were too rigid, MIC would also find it difficult to join, as the party prefers only limited cooperation,” he said, in what appeared to be a jibe at the Barisan Nasional component party.
Last week, MIC president SA Vigneswaran said informal discussions had been held by MIC and Perikatan Nasional about their political direction.
He said the party’s leadership was examining the matter seriously after several resolutions on MIC supporting PN and a possible exit from BN were approved by the party’s state leaderships in Kedah, Perak and Penang.
However, MIC is not part of the new grouping.
Puad, who is Rengit assemblyman, also said the PN-led coalition was also considered “loose” because it was led by PAS and Bersatu.
He said that if PAS could accept working with Malaysian Advancement Party (MAP) president P Waytha Moorthy, a former leader of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), and Urimai’s P Ramasamy, a former senior DAP leader, then the Umno-DAP issue had become irrelevant.
“At this point, it seems one can be friends with just about anyone,” said Puad.
The grouping also includes Gerakan, Pejuang, Muda, the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP), Putra, Berjasa, and the National Indian Muslim Alliance Party (Iman).
The loose coalition aims to hold the current administration accountable and highlight issues affecting the people, including reform pledges they claim Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has failed to deliver.
Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), which initially joined talks with Muhyiddin on the proposed united opposition front, has ruled out joining the loose coalition over unease with the way many of the parties involved play on ethnic issues.
