No dominant party for the past 20 years, says PPBM Youth chief
No party today on both sides of the divide, he said, can form the government on its own given the present political situation.
(FMT) – PPBM Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayshal Wan Ahmad Kamal has backed a fellow leader’s remarks that the issue of dominance should not arise if his party, PAS and Umno worked together in the next general election (GE15).
This, he said, was because there has been no dominant party in Malaysian politics for the past 20 years.
Pahang PPBM secretary Saifuddin Abdullah’s comments that there should be no issue of a dominant party if the three Malay parties formed a coalition for GE15 had drawn a strong reaction from Umno vice-president Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The former Johor menteri besar said Umno and PAS were strong enough to be dominant.
Speaking to FMT, Wan Ahmad Fayshal claimed Malaysia has not had a dominant party since Anwar Ibrahim was sacked from Umno in 1998, resulting in a split in the party.
The situation, he said, was made even clearer after GE14, when all parties, particularly Malay-based ones, showed they had their respective strengths and supporters.
“Because of political demographic changes among the Malays, particularly educated youth, parties which are dominant in nature are becoming less relevant,” he said, adding that younger Malays were not caught up in the Malay struggles of old.
“Malays today, particularly the youth, are getting wiser and can evaluate (the different parties),” he said.
No party today on both sides of the divide, he said, can form the government on its own given the present political situation.
PPBM Supreme Council member Razali Idris said no party would be dominant in the future, citing the outcome of the Sabah election in September.
“That election showed no party can rule on its own and in the end, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) formed the government,” he said, referring to the coalition comprising of Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional and PPBM.
The Terengganu PPBM chief acknowledged the influence of Umno and PAS in east coast states but said this was not the case in other parts of the country, including Sabah and Sarawak.
This, he said, was why the two parties needed PPBM, which had its strengths that cannot be denied by anyone.
“The people are no longer afraid of changing the government and a majority of voters are still not members of any party, so the number of members alone doesn’t guarantee total victory.”
He said it was important for Umno, PAS and PPBM to strengthen their ties instead of “thumping their own chests” as it could lead to a split and see the return of Pakatan Harapan to power.
