Bersatu must show a reformist bent
Muhyiddin needs to create some positive buzz around the party he now heads
Scott Ng, Free Malaysia Today
The Opposition Leader, being the presumptive Prime Minister candidate, must embody the values and policies that the opposition stands for. He or she must be its core selling point. As such, he or she must be a leader with some charisma.
Charisma is what Anwar Ibrahim possesses in abundance, and his incarceration has tremendously diminished the opposition coalition, now headed by his wife, Wan Azizah Ismail. But Azizah appears to be totally focused on freeing Anwar from prison instead of providing leadership to Pakatan Harapan. This has made it seem as if it’s DAP that runs Pakatan, much to the detriment of PKR and Amanah in the Malay-majority constituencies they will mainly contest in GE14.
Now, with the formation of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, conversation is turning towards the idea of having its president, Muhyiddin Yassin, taking over the job of Opposition Leader. This essentially makes Bersatu the case for the opposition’s victory in Malay-majority areas, including where the Umno brand is strong.
But Bersatu is not without its critics among opposition supporters, many of whom fear that it will just be a rebranded Umno. As PKR has insisted, a precondition for Muhyiddin’s elevation to the position of Opposition Leader is commitment to the reform agenda, and Bersatu’s response to that demand will be closely watched by political observers.
The opposition has a chance only if it is a united force, and Muhyiddin must understand that as Opposition Leader, he must consider the demands of the various other parties in the coalition.
