Bersatu no longer relevant to Malay voters, says analyst

A political analyst contends that Bersatu is no longer a relevant political party to Malay voters, following its devastating loss in all seven contested seats during the recent Melaka state election. Tawfik Yaakub of Universiti Malaya emphasized the significant decline in support for the party over recent years, highlighting the party's complete wipeout in Johor, Negeri Sembilan, and now Melaka.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin is urged to enact major reforms within the party and strengthen its organization to regain relevance in the national political landscape, according to Tawfik. Meanwhile, Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia suggests that Bersatu is still grappling with internal divisions that led to former leaders like ex-deputy president Hamzah Zainudin forming Wawasan.

Mazlan believes that Bersatu requires additional time to reorganize and coordinate itself before it can once again emerge as a formidable force. Despite suffering heavy defeats in Melaka, Bersatu remains a component of Perikatan Nasional (PN), but has been sidelined after a fallout with the People's Justice Party (PAS) in June. The party formed an electoral understanding with Pakatan Harapan (PH) for the Melaka polls, but any potential vote transfer between PH and Bersatu was minimal, as Mazlan pointed out that such a pact was never formally announced in Melaka.