Johor polls: Rafizi rules out alliances, says Bersama ready to go solo

JOHOR BAHRU, June 7 — Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) will not enter into negotiations with other political parties and will instead remain an independent contender in the upcoming Johor state election, says Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli.

The party’s de facto leader said Bersama is steadfast in its decision to contest independently, despite the risk of losing its election deposits.

“Although Bersama is only three weeks old, the party is set to offer an alternative choice to voters,” Rafizi told reporters last night.

“If we don’t lose our deposits, it means that the seeds we planted have started to grow. In the event that we do lose them, we will simply work harder and reassess our weaknesses.”

Rafizi was speaking after the party’s first roadshow, Jelajah Kancil, held at the Danga Bay Convention Centre. He was accompanied by co-leader Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and other party members. More than 350 people attended the event.

Rafizi, who also serves as Bersama’s chief strategist, noted that the party expects to announce the specific number of seats it will contest within a week.

“The party needs to examine grassroots responses and the preparedness of the election machinery in respective areas,” he said.

“Bersama already has initial figures and has identified potential seats, but we need to review them based on the ground response.”

He added that Bersama could potentially contest up to 20 seats in the southern state.

Meanwhile, Rafizi announced that Bersama will open its candidate application system for the Johor polls this coming Monday.

The former Pandan MP and economy minister insisted that the party would not accept candidates at random, noting that each application will be vetted by a special committee.

“Our candidates will consist of a healthy mix of seniors and youth to meet the aspirations of all voter demographics. We will focus particularly on young professional candidates, as they are the ones who will lead the country in the future,” he said.

In a related development, Rafizi asserted that Bersama has already recruited more than 24,000 members. He noted that the majority of these new members are non-partisan individuals who had never belonged to a political party prior to joining Bersama.

On May 17, Rafizi and Nik Nazmi, both former PKR leaders, announced their departure from the then-ruling party. They subsequently took over Bersama, an obscure political party originally registered in Penang in 2016.

The Johor state election was triggered following the dissolution of the state legislative assembly on June 1.