The Malaysian Insight

BERSATU needs to be in a coalition because it is young and building its membership, grassroots leaders said, refuting the “weak” label by political foes.

The leaders said Bersatu was still a new party and it needed time before becoming dominant on its own to take on older parties, such as Umno and PAS, or PKR and DAP from the opposition.

“This is why Bersatu needs to sit in a political coalition like Perikatan Nasional,” Semenyih division chief Rais Zulkifli told The Malaysian Insight.

“Bersatu was originally set up to (oppose) Najib Razak and Barisan Nasional, and after we succeeded in overthrowing BN, we still did not have a direction.

“We used to be in Pakatan Harapan and after that PN. That is why Bersatu must be in a coalition. Otherwise, we will find it tough to challenge the older parties.

“It takes time,” he said, adding that Bersatu’s achievements in the six years of its establishment were remarkable.

He said people saw Bersatu as a clean party, in which its leaders were not involved in corruption and abuse of power, adding that the younger crowd is now attracted to Bersatu.

“I see many young people who joined Bersatu, they were not interested in politics before, but now they are joining the party.

“They feel they can bring new ideas even though they are still new members, they have a voice that does not exist in older parties like Umno, which has a hierarchy,” he said.

However, he admitted that the grassroots still do not see anyone who can replace party president and Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Yet, he said this problem was normal for any party and believed that other Bersatu leaders wanted Muhyiddin to remain in charge.

“Right now, Bersatu is polishing and creating new leaders. For me, in any party, the problem remains the same, but I expect party leaders want Muhyiddin to lead the party for another term,” he said.

Grassroots leaders also dismissed rival parties, which allege that Bersatu was monopolising the PN ruling pact despite its youth and relatively few MPs.

Bersatu has also come under pressure following Umno’s decision not to work with it for the next general election, which means the party will have to fight Umno for Malay votes.

Terengganu Bersatu information chief Badrolhisham Mohamed said Bersatu has proven its capabilities by leading the country with Muhyiddin.

He said this showed that Bersatu was not a weak party and was strengthening its position, especially in the PN coalition.

“No party is dominant at the moment but as a new party, Bersatu is already administering the country.

“When this coalition succeeds in winning many seats in the 15th general election, Bersatu will be dominant,” Badrolhisham told The Malaysian Insight.

He was confident of PN doing well at GE15 on the strength of every coalition partner.

He also said that Bersatu was building up its base by adding to its membership.

At last count, Bersatu has more than 508,000 members, in 171 divisions and 2,579 branches nationwide.

In Terengganu, he said, the party has now opened eight divisions with an estimated membership of 25,000 to 30,000.

Can’t win alone

Bersatu Youth information chief Mohd Asyraf Mustakim said the issue of the party’s strength should not be raised or questioned.

“Currently, there is no dominant and strong party. No party can win the elections alone. Everyone needs to be in a coalition,” he said.

He added that Bersatu was now trying to increase its branches in preparation for the next general election.

“We are really focusing on adding branches because we did not have many before.

“Our focus is to increase the number of branches (and increase membership),” he said.

The party was founded by Dr Mahathir Mohamad on September 8, 2016, with original members consisting of former Umno leaders.

Bersatu then joined the PH coalition with PKR, DAP and Amanah to overthrow BN government in GE14.

Muhyiddin’s move to form a new alliance with Umno and PAS to take over the government in February last year saw a fallout with Dr Mahathir and a small group of his supporters.

Dr Mahathir and his supporters had then formed Pejuang to continue with their political fight, and are now aligned with the opposition.

Meanwhile, Umno has expressed dissatisfaction with Bersatu for poaching its elected reps after GE14, and for sidelining Umno in the PN-led government.

Riding on position of PM

Political analyst Awang Azman Awang Pawi sees Bersatu as a strong party as its president holds the post of prime minister.

He said that was a dominant factor for Bersatu to succeed in controlling power, resources and financial mechanisms to strengthen the party’s position, but he warned that the strength could not last forever because Bersatu cannot control the post of prime minister.

“If Bersatu no longer holds the post of prime minister, then its strength will start to weaken,” he said.

He said if Muhyiddin was no longer the prime minister, it would cause problems for the party as it depends heavily on the support from Umno and PAS supporters.

“Added to that, Bersatu’s membership is not as big as Umno, PKR and PAS. So the number of small party branches (will) determine the real influence of Bersatu.

“Even the strength at the branch level depends on the support of Umno and PAS,” he said.

Commenting on Muhyiddin’s successor, Awang Azman expects the position to shift to Mohamed Azmin Ali, who left PKR to support Muhyiddin in forming PN. He is now a leader in Bersatu.

“Azmin is a leader after Muhyiddin who is able to run the party because he is considered Bersatu’s main strategist, aside from party secretary-general Hamzah Zainuddin,” he said. – April 24, 2021.