Malaysia Politics: PM says no plans to work with Bersatu

MALAYSIA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim dismissed speculation that Bersatu would join his coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH), firmly rejecting the rumours after PAS severed ties with its opposition partner.

He said he had not heard any rumours about that matter, saying there are no negotiations with Bersatu. Whether there will be negotiations in the future if Bersatu approaches PH is also not known.

However, the internet is full of rumours that the party of Muhyiddin Yassin, a former PM who brought down Anwar’s coalition from power in 2020, is joining PH.

The PH chairman said the political approach practised by his side at present is based on negotiation and cooperation, not manoeuvres that could damage relations between parties.

“There is none yet, not even rumours. This is a political marriage — divorce, talaq, marriage, for me that is not our way,” he said at a press conference concluding his three-day official visit to Japan yesterday.

PAS has severed ties with Bersatu, citing several key points that disrupted the political arrangement that won 76 seats in the general elections in 2022.

The two parties were in power (together with Umno-Barisan Nasional) from 2020 to 2022 following the Sheraton Move that saw Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad then lose grip on power while his party, Bersatu, left the Pakatan Harapan-led government that won the elections in 2018.

PAS defended its decision to end political cooperation with Bersatu, describing the move as a “bitter pill” necessary for what it says is the broader goal of Muslim unity and national political stability.

“PAS does not take decisions based on sentiment or short-term interests, but based on an assessment of whether a cooperation can achieve a greater objective — the unity of the ummah and political stability of the country.

“It is not something pleasing, but a bitter pill that must be swallowed for the greater good,” its information chief, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, said.

On the other hand, Anwar, who has so far dismissed calls for fresh general elections, said the Unity Government at the Federal level continues to function well.

The government is shaken with Barisan Nasional and Umno’s decision to contest all state seats in the two state elections in Johor and Negeri Sembilan.

This has set the parties in the ruling coalition apart, with frictions rattling the BN-PH collaboration.

But Anwar said, “So far the Unity Government remains strong even though at the state level there are some differing opinions.

“I have not heard any views, in fact from the Cabinet leadership that exists, they are still firm, consistent in stating the Unity Government at the national level must remain strong,” he said.

At the same time, he said, he will not be involved in any steps that could be considered betraying partners in the existing coalition.