Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli
By TEE LIN SAY
linsaytee@suketv.com
3 June 2026, 4:15pm
KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Bersama Malaysia was formed because there is a large group of disenfranchised voters who feel they are voting not because they like the party they are voting for, but mainly because it is the lesser of two evils, says its chairman, Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli.
The former deputy president of PKR (People’s Justice Party) said that he had been tracking public sentiment on politics for the last year.
Rafizi and former PKR vice-president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad launched their new political party, BERSAMA, on May 17.
It was very clear that these disenfranchised voters were not happy with any of the coalitions, whether it was Pakatan Harapan (PH), Barisan Nasional (BN), or Perikatan Nasional (PN).
“The biggest dissatisfaction is that all these coalitions are the same. These political parties do not change. It is all about coalition and power.
“Whatever that is being communicated to the public, it is just to get votes. Once they get the vote, they will decide among themselves how to form the government,” says Rafizi.
The moment the government is formed through coalitions, there will be a lot of compromises, thus rendering most voters generally unhappy with the outcome.
“I think BERSAMA exists on the hypothesis that there are some sections of Chinese and to a certain extent, non-Malays generally, who feel that they require a choice.
“If nothing changes, then a Chinese voter will go to a ballot box thinking that they don't necessarily like Democratic Action Party (DAP) or PH, but the alternative is worse.
“You shouldn't buy anything just because you think that it's a lesser of two evils. Politics should not be like that,” says Rafizi.
He said that Indians had the largest group of disenfranchised voters, at about 68%. Among the Chinese, it was about 60%.
The Malays had reached about 32%, which is singularly the largest group — even larger than the supporters of each individual coalition.
“So, there is a gap in the market. And in whatever you want to do, and this includes forming a political platform, you must know the product-market fit,” says Rafizi.
He said this was especially apparent with the younger generation. They wanted something more positive and solutions based.
These aren’t just solutions for today’s problems, but for problems twenty to thirty years down the line.
“The Millennials and Gen Zs understand enough that in the next twenty to thirty years, they will inherit a lot of the problems left by today's politicians.
At the very least, Rafizi says that BERSAMA's existence means that no political party, whether it's DAP, PKR, or UMNO (United Malays National Organisation), can take anyone's vote for granted anymore, as voters will no longer need to choose the lesser of two evils.
Change Can Happen Without Forming a Coalition
The former PKR deputy president says that change can be made by a single bloc made up of 10 MPs, even if they aren’t part of the government of the day. He does not believe in forming coalitions.
With Malaysia having gone through almost eight years of coalition governments, his observation is that, in order to preserve a coalition, compromises always have to be made.
Therefore, it is harder to do anything that challenges the status quo.
“However, if you are a bloc outside the government, and your support is needed to get through anything in parliament, they are more likely to listen to your leverage rather than if you were in the inside,” says Rafizi.
“We want to use our presence in parliament to push for change. And there are certain things that are very important to structurally change the country,” he says.
“We have proven in the last one year, even with just a bloc of 10 independent PKR MPs, we have been able to step in when questions arise about independence of judiciary.
He is referring to a cross-party parliamentary group comprising 10 MPs that called for comprehensive reforms to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to preserve its independence and public confidence in March this year.
“We have gone through it personally, comparing between how much influence you have when you are a member of the cabinet, as to when you are an independent bloc of MPs.
“So actually, you can establish and make those changes happen, even without being in government at all,” says Rafizi.
Web Edited by YAN PHENG LIANG
yanphengliang@suketv.com