Bersatu perlu baiki hubungan dengan komponen PN, kata ketua Perlis

Bersatu Perlis chief Abu Bakar Hamzah has urged his party's leadership to repair relations with other Component parties in Perikatan Nasional (PN) in order to remain relevant. The former Majlis Tertinggi Bersatu member, who relinquished his seat last month, stressed that the party must acknowledge the necessity of continuing to operate within a coalition such as PN for long-term relevance.

Reflecting on Bersatu's future, he suggested that the party should reassess certain actions, including addressing issues of expulsion of members and its relationship with PN. It is clear, he asserted, that a lone Bersatu effort would be incapable of winning, and Bersatu must sit within a coalition. He was reportedly speaking in reference to former Bersatu Deputy President Hamzah Zainudin, who founded the rival Wawasan party and joined PN last month.

Hamzah himself was expelled from Bersatu in February following a bitter leadership struggle with then-President Muhyiddin Yassin. PAS seized control of PN's presidency last February before deciding to terminate its political cooperation with Bersatu in June. Both parties remain as components of PN, alongside Wawasan, Gerakan, Parti Rakyat India Malaysia, and Pejuang, which also joined the coalition last month.

PAS leads PN in engaging with Barisan Nasional, particularly during the PRN Negeri Sembilan, where PN and BN contested through a pact and secured a two-thirds majority. Bersatu contested 24 seats independently and suffered a significant defeat, with all but one of its candidates failing to deposit their nominations. Muhyiddin previously accused PAS of making PN a toxic coalition, and Bersatu plans to form a new political alliance following PRN Negeri Sembilan.