PETALING JAYA: Barisan Nasional (BN) betrayed its members and Malay voters by cooperating with Pakatan Harapan (PH), says Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal.
In an interview with BBK Network, he claimed that talks between the two coalitions had been going on since 2020.
“They call themselves the protector of Malay interests, that their struggle is for the Malays and (the) Bumiputeras. At their general assembly, they said, ‘No Anwar, No DAP’, and the Malays believed it.
“Honestly, that (cooperation between BN and PH) was unexpected by many, but not by us. It was real. The talks have been ongoing since 2020,” he said.
Asked why Malay voters were now favouring Perikatan National (PN) over the other coalitions, as shown in the results of the recent general election, Wan Fayhsal said it was due to support for PN’s campaign for a “cleaner” government.
“The problem with corruption, as we all know, is more persistent in BN, as we have seen many court cases (against BN leaders),” he said.
He said PN could not accept ideologies that “go against the very foundation of Malay political philosophy”.
For example, he pointed to developments like the Setapak declaration which called for the opposition to segregate citizens into “Bumiputeras” and “non-Bumiputeras”.
Wan Fayhsal also dismissed claims that PN was planning another Sheraton Move.
“There is nothing wrong for us, as the opposition, to say (we’re ready to take over the government),” he said, in reference to a remark by opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin in Parliament.
“There’s the anti-hopping law in place, (so) you can’t change things. That’s good, right? It gives us some sort of stability, but, in politics, it’s an art of the impossible.
“(For example), if there is a new Umno president and he decides not to work with the government, wouldn’t that cause the government to collapse? Yes. Is it constitutional? Yes. Is it legal? Yes,” he said.
