Political alliances almost always come with compromises, says Nik Nazmi

Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, co-leader of Bersama, has asserted that political alliances frequently entail compromises. His remarks come after a proposal for Bersama to collaborate with prominent parties in order to secure electoral seats. Nik Nazmi elaborated on these compromises as being both political and policy-based, which would inevitably affect the party's core values. In a recent post on Threads, he remarked that this factor contributes to Malaysians' growing skepticism towards politics.

The former deputy vice-president of PKR was responding to comments made by Tajuddin Rasdi, a political commentator and FMT columnist. Tajuddin had contended that Wawasan's victory in the Negeri Sembilan polls on August 1st served as a valuable lesson for Bersama. He suggested that new parties should seek alliances with more established parties.

However, Nik Nazmi questioned Tajuddin's suggestion, pointing out that Bersatu, which received fewer votes in Negeri Sembilan compared to Bersama in Johor, might not be the ideal partner. He also pointed out the nascent Barisan Nasional-PN alliance, which seemed more like a marriage of convenience and was likely to dissolve due to its inherent contradictions.

Nik Nazmi further criticized Pakatan Harapan for failing to deliver on numerous promises made regarding institution and economic reforms. He emphasized that if the sole objective of politics is to gain entry into the state assembly, Parliament, or Cabinet, then Bersama and Rafizi Ramli have already accomplished this goal. He clarified that Bersama was not founded with the intention of securing additional positions, but rather to advocate for reforms and present an alternative choice.

Ultimately, according to Nik Nazmi, the most influential partner any political party should pursue is not another political entity, but rather the Malaysian populace.