Multiracial party seeks to fill void in Umno-led BN coalition

A new multiracial Malaysian party consisting largely of former Pakatan Harapan (PH) representatives and members now sees a void it can fill within the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, just over three years after PH dismantled BN's six-decade rule in Malaysia.

Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) president Larry Sng told The Straits Times that the party, which has elected representatives from four states, is seeking to join Umno-led BN, instead of BN's government partner Perikatan Nasional (PN), led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

The formation of PBM last November was not a surprise as speculation about a new multiracial party featuring former PH leaders had long been swirling in the Malaysian political sphere.

However, PBM's proposal to join BN, made during its extraordinary general meeting on Jan 8, has raised eyebrows.

PN and BN have an awkward power-sharing agreement and look set to compete against each other in the next election. They had already faced off in the Melaka state election last November, with BN winning handsomely to form a new government on its own.

Additionally, PN had continued to campaign on an anti-corruption platform despite leaving PH, with several top BN leaders still facing graft charges.

Both PN and BN are led by Malay-based parties - Umno and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) respectively. BN does not have a national multiracial party in its fold. Its other parties are the Malaysian Chinese Association, the Malaysian Indian Congress and the regional party, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah.

"With the possibility of an election looming, we don't really have much time to (walk) the political tightrope between PN and BN. Being a multiracial party, we see a vacancy in BN. In PN, that vacancy is filled by Gerakan, and also to some extent Bersatu, which takes in non-Malay associate members," Mr Sng told ST.

He added: "In BN, all parties are currently race-based parties, and we believe that with the way Malaysia is heading, it is important to have moderation."

However, he said the proposal has to be discussed with BN.

If PBM is accepted into BN, this would distance its leaders from Tan Sri Muhyiddin and senior Cabinet minister Azmin Ali - the two key persons who led Bersatu and a sizeable section of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) out of PH in February 2020, which then resulted in the collapse of the PH administration. The two subsequently set up PN together.

PBM has long been rumoured to be a vehicle for Datuk Seri Azmin, but so far neither he nor his Cabinet colleague Zuraida Kamaruddin, another senior former PKR leader, has joined their supporters in PBM.

Mr Azmin and Madam Zuraida are Bersatu members.

"So far, there is no formal entry of them into PBM. But what is apparent is that their supporters have decided to join PBM. This is because some of them have had difficulty getting memberships in Bersatu, and those who got memberships did not find themselves in any decision-making position," Mr Sng said.

He is confident that more elected representatives and high-profile politicians would join PBM in the coming months. "I believe PBM is a very attractive vehicle for those currently in PH and the opposition front," he said, citing a general "disillusionment" towards PH in the years since its rule dramatically collapsed.

Mr Sng left PH after spending just over two years with the coalition. He won the Julau seat in Sarawak as an independent in 2018 before joining PKR while it was part of the ruling government. He quit the party in early 2021, one year after the PH administration collapsed, and remained an independent until he co-founded PBM.

The 42-year-old has more than two decades of experience in Sarawak politics. He was first elected as a member of the state assembly at the age of 21 in 2001, before serving in the Sarawak state administration. Between him and his father Sng Chee Hua, they held the Pelagus state seat for 20 years until 2011.

PBM has over 50,000 members and expects the number to swell to more than 100,000 this year.