PN's loose coalition aims to counter single-race image - Analysts
PN Chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin reportedly stated that the coalition was targeting the establishment of a loose political coalition involving Opposition parties in preparation for GE16.
SHAH ALAM – The formation of a loose coalition by Perikatan Nasional (PN) is seen as its latest strategy to strengthen the Opposition bloc ahead of the 16th General Election (GE16), while countering the perception that the coalition only represents the Malay-Muslim community.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Associate Professor Dr Mazlan Alin believed the move was an effort to create a space for non-Malay parties, which previously found it difficult to engage with PN due to the dominant image projected by the coalition.
"If the Malay-Islam narrative continues, it will create the impression that if PN wins the next general election, there will only be a single Malay-based administration.
"This was why the effort to form a loose coalition was essentially a strategy to show that the bloc was capable of multiracial cooperation, as an alternative to the Madani government,” he told Sinar on Monday.
PN Chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin reportedly stated that the coalition was targeting the establishment of a loose political coalition involving Opposition parties in preparation for GE16.
Muhyiddin, who is also the Bersatu President, described that efforts in that direction were showing positive progress.
Meanwhile, commenting on claims that 120 Bersatu division chiefs had signed a statutory declaration (SD) urging the president to step down and hand over leadership to Deputy President Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, Mazlan clarified the situation as part of the party’s maturation process.
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