SHAH ALAM – As Perikatan Nasional (PH) faces mounting internal strain, attention is turning to whether Bersatu is quietly preparing for a political reset – and whether new alliances with progressive parties could form part of its survival strategy.
O2 Research head Anis Anwar Suhaimi said Bersatu is already quietly preparing for a worst-case scenario, with groundwork being laid for an alternative political pathway as its future within PN becomes increasingly uncertain.
“Bersatu has already laid out the groundwork for what can be seen as its backup plan through the formation of Ikatan Prihatin Rakyat (IPR).
“This can be viewed as a political coalition safety net should anything happen to its partnership within PN,” he told Sinar Daily.
He said Bersatu’s most realistic immediate partners may not be a single party, but a wider network of political actors already aligned within the IPR framework.
On suggestions that Muda could serve as a bridge into the progressive bloc, Anis said the challenge lies less in political messaging and more in voter perception.
“The progressive voter bloc that Muda seeks to attract generally views Bersatu as carrying significant political baggage, particularly on issues of loyalty, defections and political credibility,” he said.
Because of this, he said a direct Bersatu-Muda partnership would struggle to deliver meaningful electoral gains, at least in the short term.
Still, he stressed that political outcomes remain fluid and depend heavily on how alliances are structured and presented.
While Bersatu and Muda are often placed within the broader opposition ecosystem, he said both remain rooted in different political traditions and would require careful framing to work together effectively.
“Politics is ultimately about strategy and positioning,” he said, adding that perception can be as decisive as ideology in shaping voter response.
IPR is a loose political coalition that brings together 11 opposition parties outside the ruling bloc.
The coalition was established in October 2025 and is led by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, under the guiding theme “Selamatkan Malaysia.”