2 days ago
After Muhyiddin meet, 12 Opposition parties form ‘loose coalition' to pressure Anwar govt on public concerns
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 — Following a meeting with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin last month, 12 Opposition parties have reportedly formed a 'loose coalition' to lobby issues that they claimed have been neglected by the Anwar administration.
Malaysiakini reported that these included Perikatan Nasional components (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, PAS, Gerakan, Malaysian Indian People's Party), Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda), former Gerakan Tanah Air members (Parti Pejuang Tanahair, Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia or Putra, Berjasa), Malaysian Advancement Party, National Indian Muslim Alliance Party, and Urimai.
The Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) was also named, but has since said it had yet to discuss joining the pact.
Bersatu president and PN chairman Muhyiddin reportedly said the coalition would focus on pressing concerns faced by the public, and its name will be decided soon.
'We are unanimous here; not a single party leader disagrees that this is something which must be given attention and priority, including matters related to the 13th Malaysia Plan currently being tabled and debated, which fails to resolve many major issues by the government.
'We have made this our first joint decision. After this, there will be many other matters to be discussed, including with certain groups in society,' he was quoted as saying.
He said the Opposition parties would continue to hold discussions, including engaging groups such as traders and entrepreneurs, to understand their challenges and propose solutions for the government.
'We have not set out specific matters, but anything we believe is of common interest — whether political, economic, social, educational, and so forth — can be discussed together on this platform and decisions taken jointly,' he added.
Muhyiddin stressed that the coalition was not confined to Perikatan Nasional, describing it as an open platform for different parties to collaborate on public issues.
He highlighted the cost of living as a shared concern, saying that despite low inflation, prices of goods in many areas were higher than before.
According to him, the targeted fuel subsidy had raised logistics costs, while taxes such as the expanded sales and service tax (SST) had also worsened the burden.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had last month warned that any move to unseat the government through unconstitutional means would be unlawful and risk destabilising the country, and challenged his critics to table a no-confidence vote in the Parliament instead.
