Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin has ruled out the formation of a Malay “grand coalition” as long as Umno maintains its alliance with DAP.
He questioned the proposal made by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, particularly whether it implied inviting all Malay parties to align under Umno – a move Muhyiddin said would be difficult given Umno’s current relationship with DAP.
“We cannot accept it. Or is Zahid now suggesting that he wants to part ways with Pakatan Harapan?” Muhyiddin said in an interview with selected media members last night.
Once long-time rivals, Umno and DAP are now allies in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government and have cooperated in selected state elections and by-elections. Umno has denied being “UmDAP,” a term used by critics to suggest it is subordinate to DAP. Deputy president Mohamad Hasan recently described the partnership as merely a “governing arrangement.”
Muhyiddin, who stepped down as Bersatu chairman earlier this month, also said that Perikatan Nasional (PN) has not discussed joining a new coalition.
“In PN, we have yet to discuss which group. We believe that any matters related to working with parties outside the coalition must be discussed and agreed upon together. Up to now, no such discussions have taken place,” he said.
Asked whether he would meet Zahid, Muhyiddin said a meeting could take place, but only if Zahid clarified his intentions.
“Meetings can happen anytime, but first things first – I want to know exactly what he means by what he said,” he added. He also emphasized that any talks could not involve DAP unless there was a clear explanation of the purpose and objectives.
“Unless he says the purpose is to show a form of political cooperation, I will not agree to any arrangement involving a party like DAP. It has to be clearly explained,” Muhyiddin said.
The remarks come after Umno’s 2025 annual general assembly last week, where Zahid proposed a “grand coalition” to unite Malay-Muslim parties under one umbrella.
Zahid insisted that the proposal would not threaten the unity government and that the coalition would start as an informal alliance, without requiring member parties to dissolve. He added that no committee has been established yet for the proposed collaboration but that Umno would seek meetings with the top leaders of other Malay and Islamic parties.
Attempts to unite Malay-Muslim parties have been made previously, including through Muafakat Nasional formed by Umno and PAS in 2019, as well as earlier initiatives led by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
