Nik Nazmi won’t lose support among Bersama after khalwat controversy

Selangor Islamic religious department detained Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad for suspected khalwat (close proximity) on Thursday. Analysts say this controversy is unlikely to cost Nik Nazmi support among Bersama's followers, who separate a politician's private life from his political record. However, the controversy could make it harder for the PKR splinter party to win over conservative Malays as they seek to expand their voter base.

James Chin, a University of Tasmania academic, told FMT that supporters of multiracial parties generally understand the need to separate a politician's private life from politics. He cited examples of politicians who have survived similar controversies before, such as Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and former MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek.

Mohamad Sabu, a PAS Youth leader who was charged with khalwat in 1995, was acquitted by the Kelantan shariah court. Dr Chua resigned from all government and party posts in 2008 after a sex scandal but staged a political comeback two years later. Analysts believe that the party's chances of making a comeback would also depend on his family's response.

If his family remains silent, he is more likely to be forgiven, according to Chin and Syaza Shukri, a representative of International Islamic University Malaysia.