Urimai chairman P Ramasamy has urged Bersatu to carefully consider any political cooperation with Pakatan Harapan (PH) ahead of the Melaka state election, describing the coalition as being at one of its weakest political points.
The former Penang deputy chief minister said Bersatu should instead use the Melaka election as a testing ground for wider political cooperation ahead of the 16th general election (GE16).
Ramasamy claimed that PKR, DAP and Amanah had all experienced declining political support, while PKR and DAP had lost some of their non-Malay support. He also said DAP could no longer take Chinese voter support for granted.
He said Bersatu alone would not be able to determine the outcome of the Melaka election, but broader electoral cooperation could help prevent three-cornered contests and consolidate Malay and non-Malay votes.
“Melaka should therefore be treated as a political testing ground, a platform through which Bersatu can develop, test and sustain a broader political formula in preparation for GE16,” he said in a statement today.
Bersatu, a component of Perikatan Nasional (PN), has confirmed that it will contest the Melaka election and is expected to use its own logo amid tensions with PAS, which leads the coalition.
Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali has also said the party is prepared to discuss electoral pacts with other parties, despite previously ruling out such cooperation.
Relations within PN have become increasingly strained since PAS ended its political cooperation with Bersatu in June.
In the Aug 1 Negeri Sembilan election, PAS led PN into an electoral alliance with Barisan Nasional (BN), while Bersatu contested independently and failed to win any of the 24 seats it contested.
Bersatu has since been linked to speculation over possible cooperation with PH, particularly after leaders from the parties’ Melaka chapters attended a dinner together last month.
Ramasamy said Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin should take the initiative to build a broader coalition capable of challenging the combined strength of BN and PAS.
However, he stressed that the effort should go beyond negotiating seat allocations for the Melaka election and instead focus on developing an alternative political arrangement ahead of GE16.
“If Bersatu wants to remain relevant, it must move beyond simply defending its existing political territory.
“It must demonstrate that it can provide leadership to a wider political coalition,” he said.
