Build support, don’t just rely on ‘waves’, Bersatu members told

A Bersatu leader has urged party members to focus on building support rather than relying on political “waves” to win elections.

(NST) – “How can we win elections if we continue relying on waves? Waves will eventually stop,” said vice-president Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee in a speech at Bersatu’s annual general assembly today.

“When we lost in Pulai, we said it wasn’t our seat. True, it was the opposition’s seat.

“But when we lost in Nenggiri, what was our excuse? Wasn’t that our seat too? It was our seat, our candidate, our party.

“We have no excuses because the real reason is that we were relying on the wave,” he said, adding that the party had failed to commit to expanding its influence.

In August, Barisan Nasional captured the Nenggiri seat in a by-election, defeating Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) candidate from Bersatu.

Kiandee noted that in last year’s state election, PN’s success was largely attributed to the prevailing political wave at the time.

However, he said, the wave subsided during the Nenggiri by-election as voter support shifted.

“Let’s get to work, don’t just wait for the wave. PN also needs to be strengthened.

“We want to discuss appointing the prime minister, and we are even arguing over the poster boy role on social media, turning it into a media polemic. Meanwhile, others hide their weaknesses.”