A fragmented political landscape ahead of Malaysia’s next GE

MALAYSIA: Multiple alliances will fight against multiple parties in perhaps the most fragmented elections Malaysia will ever see, and this is the prediction from Bersama leaders.

Bersama leader Rafizi Ramli has said in a video on Facebook that he feels there will be a free-for-all in the next general election (GE16), adding that his party fits well in this scenario.

While he did not dismiss that Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) with United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) may find some common grounds, it is clear to him that UMNO did not join the Madani government to play second fiddle.

They are also in the game to win more seats in future elections so they can control the government and dictate the rules.

Rafizi believes it is increasingly clear GE16 will become an open contest (“free‑for‑all”) for all parties, saying his own party is not going into any alliances and will go its own way.

To explain his theory, Rafizi said he never believed from the start that UMNO would join GE16 merely as a “second player” to PH.

“UMNO does not exist to be a political accessory to others. UMNO exists to control government,” said Rafizi in a social media post.

Rafizi said UMNO joined PH after GE15 purely for survival following its heavy defeat in 2022, in a temporary arrangement to stabilise the country, and this is not a “political marriage until death.”

He says if UMNO were to only follow what Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Anwar Ibrahim say or do, they might just as well join Anwar’s party, as in dissolving into Anwar’s PKR.

However, he says UMNO has its own strategy.

“Whereas each party has its own interests, ambitions and survival. If UMNO wants to follow PH’s instructions, it would be better to just join PKR,” he added.

Meanwhile, UMNO and PH are on a war path in several states, including Negeri Sembilan and Johor, where UMNO leaders are claiming they will go solo in the state elections, that is, without PH or PKR.

Following statements by UMNO leaders in Johor and Negeri Sembilan and the possibility that UMNO will also go solo in Malacca, PH has also decided that it will fight alone in the upcoming state polls.

The squabbling between UMNO and PH has forced Anwar to state that he is willing to call for an early general election if parties in his coalition feel they have had enough.

The recent squabbles and the fight between parties in the opposition coalition, Perikatan Nasional, also indicate that there will be a free-for-all in the GE16.