FOUNDING BERSAMA co-leader Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad’s suspension has increased the hurdle for the party in the upcoming Melaka polls.
He is suspended from party activities until Jan 19 which means he is out of BERSAMA’s campaign in Melaka.
The party continued its Jelajah Trak Kancil programme in Telok Mas where BERSAMA is fielding a candidate.
Nik Nazmi is particularly vital to gain Malay support for the party.
The party had no other capable leaders to replace Nik Nazmi, even though it gained two more ex-MPs who vacated their seats, former Subang MP Wong Chen and former Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung.
Nik Nazmi is a former natural resources and environment sustainability minister and ex-Setiawangsa MP. He was also a former PKR vice president.
Nik Nazmi, Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, Wong Chen and Lee are all from PKR. He is also running a podcast show called Lebih Masa.
Rafizi who spoke last night said he would address Nik Nazmi’s close-proximity (khalwat) case and suspension at length on his podcast, Yang Berhenti Menteri.
The popular show, better known as YBM, airs on Friday nights.
The Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (JAIS) detained Nik allegedly for khalwat last week. Nik Nazmi confirmed that he was the politician who was detained but denied committing the alleged offence. Following that, Bersama suspended him.
He explained that he initially had a meeting in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. The meeting was later continued in Petaling Jaya.
The woman who was detained with him is allegedly a chief operating officer of an environment-based foundation.
She allegedly received some funds from the ministry when Nik Nazmi was minister.
BERSAMA is fielding 16 candidates in Melaka polls. It has a head start compared to other parties as it has named its candidates over a month ago.
Nomination day for the Melaka polls is on Oct 31. The state election is scheduled for Nov 14.
The Melaka state election is BERSAMA’s second outing since its formation.
It previously participated in Johor state election with 15 candidates. None of its candidates won.
The party also opted to stay out of the Negeri Sembilan state election.— Oct 19, 2026
Main image: Rafizi Ramli (Youtube)
