DATUK Ibrahim Ali-led Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) is set to be reshuffled and renamed Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) and will later join Perikatan Nasional (PN) to form the largest coalition of Malay-centric parties in the country.
According to Utusan Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will take over the president’s post from long-time ally Ibrahim, with GTA entering a partnership with Parti Perikatan India Muslim Nasional (IMAN) and Parti Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia (Berjasa), parties that Putra was already aligned with previously.
“PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang recently held a closed-door meeting with Mahathir after Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Noor also met with the former prime minister,” a party source told the Malay daily.
“Their discussion was focused on the cooperation between GTA and PN as a first step towards ensuring the Malays regain power in the 16th general election (GE16).”
However, the source said GTA may not take part in the upcoming state elections in six states, although it would lend its support to PN.
The source said PN is believed to be able to attract the support of Malay voters since the political sentiment ahead of the state polls is a choice between Malay-PN or UMNO-DAP.
Elaborating, the source said the situation has become a liability to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim even though PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was currently facing corruption charges.
“Data has indicated that the Malays are gravitating towards PN because the Malays in UMNO themselves are likely to not vote for UMNO anymore and Selangor will fall into PN’s hands except in Chinese-dominated towns where the situation is 50-50.
“GTA will support PN because our goal is to face GE16 because the recent general election has not changed any policies at all.
“GE16 will witness a one-on-one clash between the largest political alliances which is reminiscent of when the Malays rebelled against the Malayan Union.”
Currently, GTA is a loose coalition of Malay-based parties, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academics and professionals. Putra is a member of the coalition, founded by Mahathir last year.
Mahathir had quit Pejuang – the party he founded in 2020 – in February alongside 12 other party leaders following its decision to leave GTA.
He later joined Putra a month later and was given the “No 1” membership number, which was previously held by Ibrahim as the president.
Pejuang – headed by Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir – also recently submitted an application to join PN as a component party.
Mukhriz was reported as saying that it would be more beneficial for Pejuang to join PN and contest using PN’s logo as this would mean that Pejuang and PN’s cooperation would not be limited to the state polls in June 2023 but for the long term.
He further noted that Pejuang’s participation as a PN component would be to ensure that there is no split in Malay votes in the upcoming elections. – March 15, 2023
Main pic credit: Utusan Malaysia
