SIBU: Barisan Nasional (BN) is not perturbed by State Reform Party (Reform) teaming up with six other political parties to mount a challenge to BN in the 14th general election (GE14) as their capability is yet to be seen.
For one, it is not a surprise that these small parties are trying to make a mark in Malaysian politics, said state BN secretary-general Datuk Dr Stephen Rundi.
“Whether they are able to make an impact or not, (that is) yet to be seen.
“Personally, I doubt they can pose a strong challenge to BN in the coming GE14,” Dr Rundi, who is also PBB secretary-general, said yesterday.
The Minister of Public Utilities was commenting on media report that Reform was teaming up with six other political parties to form an alliance to be called ‘Gabungan Rakyat Saksama’ to take on BN in the next parliamentary election.
Reform president Lina Soo reportedly said the six parties were Parti Sejahtera Angkatan Perpaduan Sabah (Sapu), Pertubuhan Perpaduan Raykat Kebangsaan Sabah (Perpaduan), Malaysia United People’s Party (Mupp), Parti Kebangsaan Sabah (PKS), Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDS Baru) and People’s Alternative Party.
According to Soo, the seven parties were expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) soon, and thereafter apply to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to register as a political alliance.
Speaking at a press conference here on Sunday, she said for the past 53 years there was only one registered coalition — BN — thus the opposition had always been reprimanded as no opposition parties had ever registered themselves as a coalition.
PBB supreme council member Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, meanwhile, pointed out that the right to contest in elections, form associations and create alliance among political parties are fundamental rights of Malaysians enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
Thus it is their right if Reform wished to form an alliance with other political parties, said the Assistant Minister for Youth and Sports.
“However, whether they can win and be accepted by the people are yet to be seen,” the Asajaya assemblyman said, adding that the alliance was nothing new to Reform.
“They always have alliances, whether officially or not in every election and from what we can see, they get rejected every time.
“I am not surprised they will be rejected again,” Abdul Karim quipped.
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