11 opposition parties form loose coalition to address people’s issues
Although a consensus has been reached, the official name of the coalition will only be announced at the next meeting.
KUALA LUMPUR – A total of 11 opposition parties have agreed to form a loose coalition to champion issues they claim the Madani government has failed to address, including unfulfilled reform promises.
Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) president, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, said that although a consensus has been reached, the official name of the coalition will only be announced at the next meeting.
He said that the coalition involved Bersatu, Pas, Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan), Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang), Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda), Malaysian Indian People Party (MIPP), Putra, the People's Progressive Party (PPP), Berjasa, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), the Malaysian Advancement Party (MAP) and the National Indian Muslim Alliance Party (Iman).
"Also participating was an unregistered organisation known as Bersepakat Hak Rakyat Malaysia (Urimai)," he said during a press conference following a joint meeting of opposition leaders at a hotel on Monday.
He emphasised that the meeting also saw agreement for opposition parties to broaden engagement with various societal groups, including traders, entrepreneurs and representatives from specific sectors, in order to better understand their challenges and propose viable solutions to be brought to the government.
"We were unanimous in our agreement, there was not a single party leader who objected. This is an issue that requires serious attention and priority, especially as the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), which is currently being presented and debated, is seen as failing to address many of the people’s key concerns,” he said.
Muhyiddin, who is also the Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman, stressed that the formation of this loose coalition was merely a preliminary step before any further decisions would be taken in the future.
He said the cost of living emerged as the main point of discussion, as it has become the biggest burden faced by the public since the unity government took office.
“Although inflation is officially low, prices continue to rise in many places. This increase is partly due to the removal or restructuring of fuel subsidies, which has raised logistics costs.
“In addition, the expansion of the Sales and Services Tax (SST) since 1 July to cover nearly 6,000 types of goods has further added to the people’s financial burden,” he said.
He highlighted that businesses were also feeling the pressure, with operators complaining of rising operational costs, which particularly impacted small and medium-sized enterprises.
“This issue has been ongoing, especially since the government has failed to implement its reform promises, such as the removal of tolls and the postponement of student loan repayments (PTPTN). All these have only added to the people’s burden,” he added.
When asked about whether the coalition would cooperate in the next general election, he said that no specific decision had been made yet.
“But anything we see as being of shared interest, whether political, economic, social, educational, or any other matter, we can use this platform to discuss collectively and make joint decisions. It won’t be the voice of one party, but many,” he said.
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