KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — Bersatu has held talks with several political parties on forming a new political alignment ahead of the 16th General Election (GE16), with party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin saying no decision has been reached yet.
He said Bersatu is open to working with any party that respects its fundamental principles, after the party’s political cooperation with PAS formally ended in June.
“Generally, I have said there have been meetings with several political parties. I mentioned extending an invitation to meet and discuss,” Harian Metro reported him telling reporters after Bersatu’s 10th anniversary celebration here yesterday.
Muhyiddin said Bersatu could not favour any one party when determining its future political alignment, adding that the party had always maintained it could not contest elections alone and needed to work with others.
“We were tested when we contested alone in the Negeri Sembilan state election, and that experience proved our position that cooperation is important was correct,” he was quoted as saying.
His remarks come a day after he said Bersatu did not rule out negotiations with Pakatan Harapan (PH), although he declined to identify the parties that had approached Bersatu and said the party was open to discussions with “all.”
“I did not mention them one by one; I mentioned all of them,” he was quoted as saying by Astro Awani when asked whether PH was among the parties that had approached Bersatu.
Separately, PH Melaka chairman Adly Zahari confirmed yesterday that PH was negotiating with Bersatu and other parties on a possible “PH Plus” collaboration for the Melaka state election, although he said any cooperation would only be announced after negotiations were completed.
The developments come as Bersatu’s relationship with PAS has deteriorated, with Muhyiddin saying PAS had decided to end political cooperation with Bersatu rather than it being a choice made by his party.
PAS formally ended its political cooperation with Bersatu on June 8, after its Central Working Committee endorsed a June 2 decision by the party’s Syura Council on the current state and direction of ties between the two parties.
Muhyiddin also said Bersatu had been denied cooperation within Perikatan Nasional (PN), particularly by PAS, leaving the party with little choice but to consider other political options.
He said PN had originally been formed to create a clear political coalition and strengthen its component parties, allowing them to contest and win elections together.
“However, Bersatu has no choice if there are parties that decide not to continue cooperating,” he said.
Muhyiddin also denied that his recent court outcome was connected to efforts to cooperate with PH in forming a new political alignment.
On September 15, the High Court discharged and acquitted Muhyiddin of four of the seven charges he faces linked to the Jana Wibawa programme — one charge of using his position to obtain RM200 million in alleged bribes for Bersatu from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, and three money-laundering charges involving the same amount.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib had applied to discontinue the four charges under Section 254(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
But High Court judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin went further than the discharge sought by prosecutors, ruling that the interests of justice favoured a full discharge and acquittal rather than a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.
Muhyiddin said the court decision concerned the criminal proceedings against him and had nothing to do with political cooperation, while maintaining that the four charges had been baseless.
However, the Attorney General’s Chambers said the decision not to proceed with the four charges followed a professional assessment of the evidence, the evidential viability of the case, and the overall interests of the prosecution, and did not mean the charges had been brought without basis.
Muhyiddin continues to face three charges of using his position to obtain RM25.3 million in alleged bribes for Bersatu from Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Mamfor Sdn Bhd, KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd, and businessman Azman Yusoff, also linked to the Jana Wibawa programme, with the prosecution having completed its case after calling 29 witnesses. – The Malay Mail
