Gerakan, MIPP avoid weighing in on PAS-Bersatu split

 

Gerakan and MIPP have remained tight-lipped on the end of political cooperation between their fellow Perikatan Nasional components, Bersatu and PAS.

In a statement today, Gerakan president Dominic Lau said the party will await further clarification from the relevant parties before making any comment on recent developments.

However, Lau stressed that PN’s priority should be focused on the upcoming state polls in Johor and Negeri Sembilan, as well as the 16th general election.

“With the state elections around the corner, and with the national political landscape continuing to evolve towards the next general election, this is the time for all parties within PN to remain focused on the bigger task before us,” he said.

Lau added that Gerakan will continue to play a constructive role in strengthening PN as a coalition that can be accepted by Malaysians of all races and religions - while upholding political stability, principled leadership, and the people’s interests above all else.

Gerakan chief Dominic Lau

Separately, an MIPP representative told Malaysiakini that the party will not be issuing any comments for now on the matter.

Last night, PAS announced an end to its six-year-long political cooperation with Bersatu, with the Islamist party now exploring potential electoral pacts in the interest of ummah unity ahead of the upcoming state polls and general election.

The decision came at the height of a strained relationship between the PN members, which saw top leaders from both parties openly criticising each other.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang had previously accused Bersatu, led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, of making unilateral decisions and failing to maintain internal discipline within the opposition coalition.

New electoral pact?

On June 7, The Star quoted a senior Bersatu source as saying that the party intends to organise an electoral pact with MIPP, Muda, and Pejuang in a bid to avoid multi-cornered fights in the Johor state polls.

The report, which did not mention Gerakan’s possible inclusion in the electoral pact, also quoted a Johor Pejuang leader as confirming that while discussions on a potential pact have been held with Bersatu, no details have been finalised.

However, Johor Bersatu chief Sahruddin Jamal reportedly said that “almost 80 percent” of seat negotiations have been finalised with Muda, Pejuang, and MIPP.

Bersatu leader Sahruddin Jamal

He added that under the pact, Bersatu is expected to contest fewer than the 33 seats it had eyed in 2022 to make way for other parties that are part of the deal.

During the 2022 Johor election, Pejuang contested 42 of Johor’s 56 state seats, making it one of the largest opposition parties in terms of seat allocation.

However, the party failed to win a single seat, while Muda, which fielded candidates in seven seats, secured only the Puteri Wangsa state constituency with a 7,114 vote majority against five other candidates.

While Gerakan failed to secure any of the eight seats it had contested, Bersatu contested 33 seats and garnered two, with PAS winning one seat after fielding candidates in 15 state constituencies. - Mkini