Is Bersama Already Bleeding Out? The Strategic Retreat from Negeri Sembilan
In this editorial we expose Bersama’s financial crunch and strategic limitations, arguing that skipping the Negeri Sembilan polls is just another compromise in broken Malaysian partisan politics
So much for the "kamikaze" reformers
When Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi spectacularly walked out of PKR to hijack the minor vehicle known as Bersama, they promised to break the mold of Malaysian politics. They were the bold, third-force flag bearers of institutional and structural change. But just months into their crusade, the gloss is already peeling off. The harsh, cold reality of partisan mechanics has set in, exposing a party that is severely limited, structurally weak, and surprisingly compromised.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: Negeri Sembilan.
The state goes to the polls on August 1st. Yet, Bersama has decided to skip N9 entirely to "focus on Melaka".
Really? Focus on Melaka, where elections aren't even decided yet, while giving N9 a complete free pass?
Is Bersama is already running out of money? We can speculate. Rafizi is the main funder and all the burden is on him.
Malaysian elections are a rich man’s game. They require deep, institutional pockets. After losing deposits across Johor as expected, Bersama’s war chest is clearly limited. Too many rapid-fire snap elections will bleed a fledgling party dry. By putting a hard pause on N9, Bersama has admitted to its financial and possibly (political) limits.
But is it just about money, or is there a softer, more undercurrents?
By refusing to field even two or three candidates to "show presence" in Negeri Sembilan, Rafizi is pulling his punches. Is this a soft-hearted favor to the caretaker Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan? It certainly looks like a tactical retreat to avoid stepping on old friends' toes.
Opponents will say to Rafizi and Bersama that if you claim to be an uncompromising alternative to the broken bipartisan system, you don’t sit out a major state election to play nice with the establishment.
Which brings us to the ultimate question: Are they really any different?
Bersama’s leaders loudly declare they will not seek alliances - at least not in the immediate when they are still too small.
But in Malaysia’s highly encrypted, hopelessly divided, and fragmented political landscape, "going solo" is a suicide mission. With a collapsing circus of big and small parties constantly trying to orchestrate comebacks, no one survives alone.
Look at Bersatu. It has collapsed for so many reasons, one of them being the 2020 forceful taking over of power from Pakatan Harapan. The other being the alliance it forged with parties that have a history of backing out of such alliances after their goals have been achieved, in the short term.
Bersama is surely aware of these transitions in Malaysian politics. It does not want to be hit by betrayals and allies that will make use of it for short term gains. Fine.
If Bersama won't fight in N9, will they still quietly campaign for Pakatan Harapan candidates? Will they sit silently on the sidelines, completely invisible, without even holding a rally to push their reform ideas?
They are the party that can bring reforms to Malaysia. Trust me on that. But they will need all the backing and support from the public to succeed. To get such support, they need to be seen in N9. But I may be wrong.
If they are totally absent or push for PH candidates in the dark, it will prove they are just another satellite actor playing the same old partisan game.
Opponents are already saying the N9 retreat isn't strategic; it’s a glaring confession that even the mighty Rafizi Ramli has a glass jaw. I am thinking that it is indeed a show of limitations, financial, logistic and structural.
And these are the elements that are hurting Malaysian politics, that is the financial limitations of such parties, the logistic support that is not enough or not there and the structural challenges that such small parties face.
Kazi Mahmood