Wawasan likely to mirror Bersatu’s Malay-centric model, says analyst

 James Chin says the new party is basically reaching out to urban Malays or Muslims who are uncomfortable voting for a religious party like PAS.

Hamzah Zainudin’s Reset agenda involves a political reconfiguration towards a more mature, stable, multiracial and moderate democracy, according to close ally, Saifuddin Abdullah.

PETALING JAYA:

Hamzah Zainudin’s Parti Wawasan Negara (Wawasan) may have little choice but to mirror Bersatu’s Malay-centric model if it hopes to carve out space within the opposition bloc, political analyst James Chin says.

Indera Mahkota MP Saifuddin Abdullah, a close ally, previously said Hamzah’s “Reset” movement aims to drive a political reconfiguration towards a more mature, stable, multiracial and moderate democracy.

But Chin, of the University of Tasmania, said Wawasan cannot realistically present itself as a multiracial party given its positioning as Bersatu’s replacement in Perikatan Nasional.

James Chin.

“Hamzah has no choice. His party is basically relying on PAS, so it (Wawasan) cannot be a multiracial party,” Chin told FMT.

“Its role is to replace Bersatu in PN, so its membership — and everything else — has to follow the Bersatu model.

“Hamzah’s basically reaching out to urban Muslims or Malays who are uncomfortable voting for a religious party like PAS. The party (Wawasan) is very much a sub-branch of PAS, if you ask me.”

Chin said Wawasan’s target would inevitably remain Bumiputera voters, with Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) expected to occupy the multiracial space within PN.

Asked if Malaysia has room for another Malay-centric party, he said electoral success mattered more than the number of parties.

Akademi Nusantara’s Azmi Hassan echoed Chin’s view, noting that Hamzah has never espoused a multiracial ideology throughout his long political career.

“It would be very odd if Wawasan is branded as having such a philosophy,” he said, adding that the racial composition of the 13 Bersatu MPs aligned to Hamzah makes such branding difficult.

Azmi said Malaysia’s political landscape remains heavily influenced by race-based politics, making it tough for multiracial parties to thrive independently.

Azmi Hassan.

“I think branding Wawasan as a multiracial party is going to take a lot of effort, but it can be done,” he said.

He added that close cooperation with PAS need not necessarily prevent Wawasan from adopting a broader identity.

“We know that Wawasan will be working closely with PAS, which is basically very different from the multiracial party concept.

“But if PAS can accept Zaid Ibrahim, who is considered liberal in his own right, I don’t see any reason why Wawasan cannot be a multiracial party and still work closely with PAS in this particular case.”

Hamzah unveiled Wawasan at the Reset convention in Tanah Merah, Kelantan, last Saturday, saying the party would hold its first annual general assembly this week.

He also announced plans to cooperate with PAS, Gerakan and several other parties, signalling his intention to work with PN. - FMT