Move on from a bleak future in PN, Bersatu told

 Syaza Shukri says the party should stop dwelling on past glories and focus on new alliances.

National Council of Professors fellow Azmi Hassan said Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin (centre) must prove that the party can stand on its own.

PETALING JAYA:

Bersatu needs to accept the fact that its future in Perikatan Nasional is increasingly uncertain and stop dwelling on past achievements, says an analyst.

Syaza Shukri, of International Islamic University Malaysia, said Bersatu should now focus on forging new alliances and drawing up fresh strategies if “it was serious about moving forward.”

“However, I understand why Bersatu keeps talking about PN, especially Muhyiddin Yassin, as he sees himself as PN’s founder,” she told FMT, referring to the Bersatu president.

Yesterday, Muhyiddin said PAS, which severed ties with Bersatu in June, won big in the last general election because the Islamic party was working with them.

PAS won 43 parliamentary seats in 2022. The opposition coalition also secured the lion’s share of the Malay votes.

Syaza said while there was some basis to Muhyiddin’s opinion, the political landscape had since changed.

Bersatu, she said, must now work on bolstering its support base on its own if it wants to attract a significant number of Malay voters.

Separately, Azmi Hassan, a fellow at the National Council of Professors, said Muhyiddin must prove that Bersatu could stand on its own and the party was still able to attract support at the upcoming Negeri Sembilan polls, especially since it would be contesting under its own logo.

“If Bersatu can prove its worth, only then can it search for a new partner, like Pakatan Harapan, for example, which needs the Malay votes.

“This will be Bersatu’s challenge now that they have been sidelined in PN by PAS.”  - FMT