GEORGE TOWN: Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin’s pitch to Dr Mahathir Mohamad for their parties to work together at the next general election (GE15) reeks of desperation to remain politically relevant, political analysts say.
His move also shows the lengths to which Muhyiddin is prepared to go in order to defeat Barisan Nasional (BN), say Anantha Raman Govindasamy of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and Azmil Tayeb of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
The two former prime ministers parted ways following the Sheraton Move in February 2020, which led to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government. Mahathir was Bersatu chairman at the time but was later expelled from the party.
Anantha said Bersatu’s recent defeat at the Johor state elections has forced Muhyiddin to resort to “desperate measures”. He said Muhyiddin probably believes that Mahathir has the aura to woo Malays who are anti-Umno, and could lead such a group.
He said Muhyiddin took a political gamble by making the pitch for an alliance between their two Malay-based parties, but Mahathir had made his position clear, in publicly rejecting Muhyiddin’s move.
Azmil said it was Muhyiddin’s “final act of desperation” as Perikatan Nasional (PN) lacked any other partners for attracting Malay voters.
Mahathir appealed to many non-Malays and the liberal Malays, he said. Cooperation between the two parties could draw some of these votes to PN, and Mahathir might still have some sway in Kedah, a crucial state in the Malay heartland.
However, Anantha said Mahathir’s rejection would not affect Muhyiddin’s position as party leader as he was the only Bersatu leader accepted by Bersatu members and the other component parties in PN.
“Leaders like Azmin Ali and his faction (of former PKR members) are not well-liked by a huge section in the party. Without Muhyiddin, it would be difficult for Bersatu to lead PN,” he said. - FMT
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