Wanted: a new spirit of bipartisanship to forge consensus

PKR MP for Wangsa Maju, Terence Netto, suggests the need for a new spirit of bipartisanship to forge consensus among reformasi factions. Despite being friendly with opposition leader Rafizi Ramli, Netto is not considering a switch to Bersama, the new political party attracting PKR dissidents. Netto urges individuals and parties to embrace bipartisanship to avoid fragmentation into multiple parties, each following their own set of ideas, leading to ideological incoherence and wasted energy.

The formation of Bersama did not slow this fragmentation; instead, it gave rise to a new political party, Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM), which drew in supporters like Ronnie Liu and Siti Kassim. The political landscape in Malaysia is already cluttered with numerous parties, including Pakatan Harapan, Bersama, and PBM. Meanwhile, Muhyiddin Yassin's Bersatu is set to collaborate with PKR in upcoming elections.

Anwar Ibrahim, who once aspired to become prime minister, now faces a retirement at 79. The reformasi movement must unite under a spirit of bipartisanship to avoid a potential victory for a coalition between PAS and Umno, a combination that could prove unstable. Reformists should focus on essential values, steering clear of egoistic and self-centred individuals, to maintain Malaysia's religious and racial identity politics and keep PAS and Umno in check.