{
  "id": 20103882,
  "title": "Bersama perlu fikir semula pendekatan terhadap politik identiti, kata penganalisis",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/15/bersama-perlu-fikir-semula-pendekatan-terhadap-politik-identiti-kata-20103882",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-15T01:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2026/11/15/bersama-perlu-fikir-semula-pendekatan-terhadap-politik-identiti-kata-penganalisis"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Analysts suggest that Bersama needs to rethink its approach to identity politics in order to avoid becoming irrelevant in the political arena. The political ideology of Bersama does not align with the identity-based politics that has shaped voter behavior since Malaysia gained independence. Identity politics still dominates the ballot box, and identity-based politics is a continuous and enduring aspect of Malaysian politics that cannot be eliminated without new constitutional rules. Bersama operates in its own bubble, free from communal politics; this approach is too idealistic for now. For instance, Bersama's performance in Gadek was dismal, losing by over 1,000 votes to Putra, a party considered to be promoting a nationalistic understanding. BN candidate Naderajah won the seat with 3,514 votes, outpacing PH candidate Jegasilan K. Laila with 1,317 votes, and Bersama's own candidate B Laveen with 287 votes. Fauzi acknowledged that the Putra's nationalist approach resonated more with voters than Bersama's liberal platform. Bersama finds itself in a difficult position since, as a PKR split party, it lacks the influence to attract the votes of the liberal Pakatan Harapan (PH) electorate, even though they generally lean liberal. \"Liberal-minded individuals from all communities are unwilling to 'waste' their vote on Bersama, given that PH is currently facing numerous challenges. Furthermore, there are specific reasons why a rational PH voter would not take the risk of voting for them,\" he explained. Fauzi stressed that Bersama must incorporate an identity-based political element into its electoral strategy if it hopes to achieve any meaningful progress, including its goal of contesting 20 parliamentary seats in the upcoming general election. \"Malaysia's political system was not designed as a liberal democracy as some idealistic political circles envision. Identity politics is its foundation,\" he added. Despite its loss in Melaka, several Bersama candidates managed to secure enough votes to retain their deposit. In Bemban, Dr. Solehin Saleh secured 4,140 votes, placing second behind Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Dr. Yadzil Yaakub, who won with 11,881 votes. Solehin received 22.5% of the votes, far surpassing the 12.5% threshold required to retain the deposit. This performance indicates an improvement compared to Bersama's 6% result in Johor during the last PRN. Prior to PRN Melaka, Bersama leader Wong Chen had predicted a 12% increase in the party's vote share, up from 6% in Johor. Asrul Sani of the political consultancy firm The Asia Group agreed that Bersama's progress should be measured by the percentage of votes it receives rather than the number of seats won. \"Bersama is still building its diversity as a party, and its performance should be assessed based on the percentage of votes it receives across all contested seats and whether it can build a foundation of voter support. Losing any seats at this stage is not necessarily a setback,\" he told FMT. However, Asrul questioned how long Bersama can continue to rely on percentage shares as a measure of progress without translating that support into electoral victories. \"High percentage shares will give it a solid foundation to continue growing, but eventually, the party needs a convincing pathway to win seats.\"",
  "summary": "Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid berkata kempen pilihan raya Bersama sudah menemui kegagalan sejak awal kerana identiti politik liberal parti itu gagal mendapat sambutan pengundi.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}