Bersama must rethink its approach to identity politics, says analyst

 Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid says Bersama’s election campaign was doomed from the outset because its liberal political identity failed to resonate with voters.

Bersama lacked the influence to attract Pakatan Harapan voters despite its broadly liberal outlook, according to an analyst.

MELAKA:

Bersama must rethink its approach to identity politics if it hopes to avoid political irrelevance, says an analyst following the party’s second electoral wipeout this year in the Melaka state election yesterday.

Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid.

Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid of Universiti Sains Malaysia said Bersama’s political ideology was out of step with the country’s identity-based politics, which had shaped electoral behaviour since Malaysia’s independence.

“Communal identity still dominates the ballot. Identity politics is a constant; it won’t disappear unless we reach a new national consensus that calls for new constitutional arrangements.

“Bersama is living in its own bubble, one free from racial politics, which is too idealistic, at least for the present time,” he told FMT.

As an example, he cited Bersama’s performance in Gadek, where it was beaten by more than 1,000 votes by Putra, a party he described as championing ultra-nationalism.

BN’s S Nadarajah, who secured 6,472 votes, won the seat with a 3,514-vote majority over PH’s Jegasilan K. Putra’s Laila Norinda Maon claimed 1,317 votes, while Bersama’s B Laveen garnered only 287 votes.

Fauzi said Putra’s nationalist approach appeared to resonate more with voters than Bersama’s liberal platform.

He also said Bersama was in an awkward position because as a splinter party from PKR, it lacked the influence to attract Pakatan Harapan (PH) voters despite their broadly liberal outlook.

“Liberals of all races couldn’t afford to ‘waste’ their votes on Bersama since PH is already embattled in its present condition.

“Unless there are special reasons backing a particular Bersama candidate, a rational PH voter would not risk voting for them,” he said.

Fauzi said Bersama needed to incorporate identity politics into its electoral strategy if it hoped to make any meaningful progress, including in its plans to contest up to 20 parliamentary seats in the next general election.

“Malaysia’s political system wasn’t designed as a liberal democratic order that some political idealists pretend it to be. Identity politics is a baseline,” he said.

Bersama still building

Although Bersama failed to win any seats in Melaka, some of its candidates managed to retain their deposits. In Bemban, its candidate Dr Solehin Saleh secured 4,140 votes, finishing second behind incumbent Perikatan Nasional candidate Dr Yadzil Yaakub, who won the seat with 11,881 votes.

Solehin secured 22.5% of the votes, comfortably above the 12.5% threshold required to retain his deposit.

This marked an improvement from Bersama’s performance in the Johor state election, where all 15 of its candidates lost their deposits.

Prior to yesterday’s polls, Wong Chen, one of Bersama’s key leaders, said the party had aimed to increase its vote share to 12% in Melaka, from 6% in Johor.

Asrul Sani.

Asrul Sani of political consultancy The Asia Group agreed that the party’s progress should be measured by its share of the vote rather than the number of seats won.

“Bersama is still building its party machinery, so its performance should be assessed by its share of the vote across the seats it contested and whether it is establishing an electoral base.

“Not winning a seat at this stage is not necessarily a setback,” he told FMT.

However, Asrul questioned how long Bersama could rely on vote share as a measure of progress without translating that support into electoral victories.

“A strong vote share would give it a foundation to keep building, but it will eventually need a credible path to winning seats,” he said. - FMT