Mukhriz hopes to have Muda, Urimai in urban-focused opposition bloc

Free Malaysia Today

a day ago

Pejuang president Mukhriz Mahathir hinted that the goal is to split the non-Malay vote to allow for Malay voters to be the kingmakers in urban and semi-urban seats.
PETALING JAYA : Pejuang president Mukhriz Mahathir has shed more light on the proposed two-pronged coalition approach aimed at helping to address Perikatan Nasional's lack of non-Malay support.
Mukhriz said PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin had called for Pejuang and other 'small parties' to form a 'loose' opposition coalition that would focus on contesting 50 to 60 seats in urban and suburban areas, Utusan Malaysia reported.
'The parties in this coalition would be a mixture. I'm hoping, for example, for the likes of Muda, the Malaysian Advancement Party led by P Waytha Moorthy, Parti Sosialis Malaysia, P Ramasamy's Urimai, and many other small parties that have a role to play,' he said.
The former Kedah menteri besar said the idea was for this coalition to canvas for non-Malay support, while PN helped deliver Malay votes since they still form a significant portion of voters in urban and suburban seats.
He hinted that the goal was to split the non-Malay vote to allow for Malay voters to be the kingmakers.
'In rural areas, if the Malays who are the majority are divided, then the minorities would be the kingmakers. So why not use the same formula in urban areas?' he said.
Ramasamy had said PN's non-Malay components were 'too mild and conservative' to articulate the broader concerns of the community, while the coalition continues to struggle in the west coast and southern states which have non-Malay majorities.
The two-pronged coalition proposal aims to counter any stigma surrounding PAS among non-Malays, acknowledging the coalition's limited traction within the community.
Political analysts had poured cold water on the proposal, however, saying any non-Malay bloc aligned with PN was likely to fail as long as PN maintained its Malay-Muslim dominance.
'Grievances with Rama? We must compromise'
Asked whether the Malay community's unease with Waytha and Ramasamy would hinder Malay support for their parties, Mukhriz said: 'We must compromise.'
He said such compromise was what paved the way for Barisan Nasional's 61-year reign to come to an end, citing ther short-lived reconciliation between his father, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and Anwar Ibrahim.
'So we may have differences, but we can consider our differences as far less significant compared with the greater problem of allowing the Madani government to remain in power.
'When I was the Kedah menteri besar, and Ramasamy was Penang deputy chief minister, I fought with him many times … from the issue of Sungai Batu to Hindu temples, and so on.
'But now, we sit at the same table for discussions because we recognise that we have no choice but to find common ground so that we can move forward as one.
'If we remain divided, other people will benefit. So we must compromise.'