'Kancil Party' will only split PH votes, says Amanah

KUALA LUMPUR - The participation of Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) in elections without aligning with any political coalition could affect the outcome of other parties, particularly Pakatan Harapan (PH), according to Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah).

Selangor Amanah communications director Abbas Azmi said the situation could arise if the party led by Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli secures only a small share of votes and fails to win the seats it contests.

He said the primary objective of any political party contesting an election is to win and eventually form the government, not merely to contest independently.

According to Abbas, Malaysia's political history has shown that no party has been able to form a government on its own without the support of strategic coalition partners.

"If Bersama enters the race and receives only limited support that is insufficient to win, it could affect the support or votes of other parties, especially PH.

"We need to return to the fundamental purpose of elections, which is to win. If a party contests on its own, not only is it unlikely to win, but it could also be seen as disrupting the vote for other parties, whether PH, Barisan Nasional (BN) or Perikatan Nasional (PN)," he said today.

However, Abbas acknowledged that Malaysia's democratic system allows any party to contest elections.

He said every participation should be accompanied by a realistic strategy aimed at achieving the goal of forming the government.

"Our strategy is certainly to win elections. History has proven that no party has been able to lead or form the government by contesting elections alone.

"So this should be carefully considered to ensure the electoral process is not rendered meaningless. Every party that enters an election dreams of winning and forming the government," he said.

Abbas added that any party contesting independently would gain little advantage, while its chances of defeat would be very high, ultimately preventing it from achieving its objectives in any election.

Referring to the Negeri Sembilan state election, he said every party would naturally want to emerge victorious by securing public support and votes.

Therefore, he stressed that the right strategy is crucial, as contesting alone offers no benefit and could instead split the vote.

"Any party, including Bersama, should consider working with a political coalition so that the objective of ensuring the state and country are governed by a party that truly reflects the aspirations of Malaysians can be achieved.

"Most importantly, our goal is to ensure political stability in the state and the country, as that is what will guarantee future economic progress," he said.

Previously, Tony Pua urged voters to continue supporting Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the 16th General Election (GE16), claiming that Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi would become prime minister if they did otherwise.

The former Damansara MP said voting for 'spoiler parties' or choosing not to vote in GE16 would benefit BN.

The term 'spoiler party' was widely believed to be directed at Parti Bersama Malaysia, led by Rafizi Ramli, which allegedly split PH's votes and contributed to the coalition's defeat in two seats during last weekend's Johor state election.