PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional needs all the allies it can get to challenge Umno and Barisan Nasional, according to political analyst Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.
He said PN must be open to working with any party willing to cooperate, including Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM), led by former Bersatu member Zuraida Kamaruddin.
“PN and Bersatu will have a difficult time ahead as Umno and Barisan Nasional are set to win big at the next general election. PN must align itself with as many rivals of BN and Umno as possible,” he told FMT. “PN cannot afford to be choosy.”
On Sunday, Zuraida, who is the PBM president designate, said she had suggested that the party join PN. She confirmed to Utusan Malaysia that PBM had yet to officially apply to join BN and that she had previously offered it to be a component member of PN.
A day earlier, PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said several parties have expressed interest in joining the coalition, adding that the coalition was looking into their requests.
Oh noted that PBM would face a dilemma joining either PN or BN as several of its members were elected as MPs on a Pakatan Harapan (PH) ticket at the last general election.
He said PBM would have difficulty garnering support as voters would be displeased if the party aligned itself with the likes of Umno, Bersatu or PAS.
However, National Council of Professors fellow Jeniri Amir said PBM is better off joining BN as PN was now “irrelevant”.
“BN is the best platform for PBM but whether the coalition’s component parties are willing to compromise with the newly formed party remains to be seen,” he said.
Jeniri said the biggest question now was which seats PBM intended to contest.
