Bersatu no longer relevant to Malay voters, says analyst

Bersatu is no longer a relevant political party to Malay voters, as proven by its wipeout in the Melaka state election yesterday, says a political analyst.

Tawfik Yaakub of Universiti Malaya said Bersatu’s defeat in all seven seats contested in the Melaka polls showcased the “very serious” deterioration in the support for the party in recent years.

Tawfik said Bersatu’s wipeout in the Johor, Negeri Sembilan and now Melaka state elections clearly reflected its loss of influence among the Malay electorate.

“Bersatu is no longer relevant to the Malays and has been rejected by them,” he told FMT.

Tawfik said Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin must implement drastic changes across the party and fortify its organisation if it hopes to retain relevance in the national political arena.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Mazlan Ali said Bersatu was still recovering from internal division which had led to former leaders like ex-deputy president Hamzah Zainudin forming Wawasan.

Mazlan believed Bersatu needed more time to reorganise and coordinate itself before it could be a force to be reckoned with again.

Bersatu suffered heavy defeats in all seven seats contested in the Melaka polls, with five candidates losing their deposits.

In the 2021 state election, the party had helped Perikatan Nasional win two seats, Bemban and Sungai Udang, though both assemblymen later aligned themselves with Hamzah.

Bersatu remains a PN component but has been sidelined after falling out with PAS, which chairs the coalition, in June.

It formed an electoral understanding with Pakatan Harapan for the Melaka polls, with the coalition making way for Bersatu in four seats while they overlapped in three.

Mazlan said there was no obvious vote transfer from the PH-Bersatu pact, which he pointed out was never formally announced in Melaka.

“If there was any transfer of votes between PH and Bersatu, then it was minimal.”