New Parties and Malaysia’s Complex Political Landscape

The Straits Times

16 August 2016

Farish A. Noor

Another political party has been launched in Malaysia – the Parti Pribumi Bersatu – and Malaysia’s political landscape has grown more crowded. Why do Malaysians keep forming new political parties? Political mobilisation remains attractive in the country, and parties offer more than ideological choices.

Malaysia’s political landscape has grown even more complex and diverse with the announcement of yet another political party – the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu). It will be led by former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin as president, with former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad as its founding chairman and Tun Dr Mahathir’s son, Mukhriz, as its vice-president.

Earlier, another new political party had entered the fray – the Parti Amanah Negara (National Trust Party) or Amanah – that was formed by former members of the Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) and led by former PAS stalwarts Mohamad Sabu, Mujahid Rawa, Ahmad Awang and Salahudin Ayub.

Both these parties are made up of dissidents who once belonged to the biggest Malay-Muslim parties of the country – Umno and PAS – and they suggest that shifts are taking place within the largest electoral bloc of the country. These developments are happening at a time when the political fortunes of all the parties in the country are hanging in the balance.

… Dr Farish A. Noor is Associate Professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. This article first appeared in RSIS Commentaries.

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