Report: Working with Bersatu? Nothing is impossible but at a price, says PKR man

KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil said in politics anything is possible when asked about cooperating with ruling party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) for the upcoming general election (GE15).

Fahmi said these decisions, however, could come at a price, as its coalition partners in Pakatan Harapan (PH), DAP and Amanah, have disavowed Bersatu.

“In politics, nothing is impossible but whatever decisions we make comes at a price,” Fahmi said in an interview with Free Malaysia Today (FMT).

“Is it worthwhile for Keadilan to contest in seats where we have no machinery, no strong candidate and no presence just because it’s a seat that belongs to party-X?

Citing the recently concluded Johor state elections as an example, Fahmi said many argued that by using its own logo, PKR may have gained supporters.

However, Fahmi said the party would have also lost the support of those who were looking for a more united front.

“At what cost? Could it be that yes, you gain more but you lose those who want to see a united Opposition so there is always this trade off,” he added.

DAP national chairman Lim Guan Eng stressed that his party has closed its doors on cooperation with Bersatu and PAS because the two party’s leaders are “untrustworthy”.

Amanah joined its coalition partner in stating that it would not work with Bersatu or PAS in the next general election as well, when party president Mohamad Sabu said that while the “big tent” approach is the way forward for the coalition for GE15, PH did not want to work with the “traitors” that betrayed the people's mandate.

Prior to this, PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim confirmed having met Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, but said there were no discussions about giving support to the latter to be a prime minister again.

Anwar, who chairs the Opposition PH coalition, reportedly described his meetings with Muhyiddin as “normal”.

Anwar had also previously called for PH component parties to engage with other Opposition parties before facing Barisan Nasional (BN) in the Johor state election — which the latter won with a two-thirds majority.

When asked what would happen to the coalition if PKR decided to join forces with Bersatu, Fahmi said the party would answer that question when the time comes.

“We’ve not had this discussion so it’s hypotheticals and everybody knows don’t answer hypotheticals,” he said.