Rafizi Ramli’s new political outfit, Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama), is hoping to win support from disenfranchised voters and those disillusioned with the three major political coalitions.
Citing data collected by his team since 2016, Rafizi said they were confident of building a new movement amid a worsening trust deficit in Pakatan Harapan, BN and Perikatan Nasional.
“We saw the numbers keep growing month by month, and this cuts across racial lines - Malays, Chinese and Indians.
“We could not be ‘syok sendiri’ (self-serving) because we did not want to set up a new party only to end up losing our (election) deposits. We needed empirical evidence.
“By February 2026, we became confident that there is actually a market for a new political party,” the former Pandan MP said on KiniTV’s “Explain Sikit” podcast aired last night.
Rafizi claimed the number of voters seeking an alternative had surpassed support for each coalition.
According to him, respondents from the Indian community recorded the highest percentage at 65 percent, followed by Chinese respondents at 60 percent.
Among Malay voters, support was split into four groups, with Harapan, BN and PN each commanding between 21 and 25 percent support, while 32 percent fell into the category seeking an alternative.
However, Rafizi acknowledged it was still too early to determine whether Bersama could win over their support.
“The hypothesis is that there is demand for a new party outside these three major coalitions.
“We have to see from June onwards whether this 32 percent can accept Bersama or otherwise,” he added.
Setting high standards
Another Bersama de facto leader, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, claimed many voters are fed up with the political situation.
He attributed this to political manoeuvres and realignments, including the 2020 Sheraton Move that caused the collapse of the first Harapan government.
Voters today are more concerned about the quality of candidates than the parties they represent, the former Setiawangsa MP added.
“That is why Bersama, as a new party, has to choose fresh and capable candidates.
“The standard we set for election candidates has to be high because voters will not simply give their support,” Nik Nazmi said in the same podcast.
'Not about Anwar'
Speaking about Bersama’s election plans, Rafizi indicated that the party was still identifying viable seats to contest.
Citing the party’s young age and limited finances, he said Bersama needed to be careful in choosing seats and rely on data-driven decisions.
The former PKR deputy president sarcastically said their choice of seats would not be dependent on where Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim would contest.
“Whether Bersama will field a candidate against Anwar, that will be a collective decision by the party.
“But perhaps it is Anwar who may want to avoid us. If Bersama has traction in a constituency he is eyeing, he may choose a different seat.
“For us, the decision will be based solely on data and voter acceptance,” Rafizi added.
A matter of choice
According to the Bersama leaders, the party wants to present itself as a fresh alternative instead of becoming tied to existing political blocs.
“If possible, we also want to break the monopoly held by the other parties,” Rafizi said.
They, however, did not rule out cooperating with one of the coalitions to form a government after the election.
Rafizi said any support from Bersama would depend on a strict agreement outlining clear conditions.
Such safeguards, he added, were necessary to avoid repeating Harapan’s experience in forming the unity government with BN.
"Issues of racism, minority hatred, for example... these have to be spelt out extremely clearly.
“The repeal of repressive laws must also be included in the agreement.
“From our experience in the Madani government, these items were not listed in the agreement,” he said. - Mkini
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