MELAKA: Pakatan Harapan was built on decades of camaraderie that must be upheld by all component parties, candidates and election machinery.
PH secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the coalition's strength rested not only on shared political goals but also on mutual trust, respect and loyalty.
He said the bond dated back to September 1998 and had endured numerous challenges before PH formed the federal government.
"This is not a friendship of two or three years. This is a story of camaraderie that began in September 1998 and continues to this day.
"Pakatan Harapan is a political coalition we must take pride in because it is bound by camaraderie. This is an invaluable political virtue," he said.
He was speaking at the Melaka PH candidate announcement and election machinery launch at the Hang Jebat Stadium compound yesterday.
Saifuddin said he had witnessed the opposition movement evolve from Barisan Alternatif to Pakatan Rakyat and eventually PH.
He said the coalition had endured a long political journey through the 1999, 2004, 2008, 2013, 2018 and 2022 general elections before securing the mandate to govern the country.
"Whatever political trials may come, as long as we hold fast to these values, PH is a coalition that will endure," he said.
Saifuddin said a coalition's real test was not merely winning elections, but also managing the people's trust once in power.
He said PH must use its mandate to ensure political stability, economic prosperity and public welfare, supported by good governance and prudent financial management without wastage, leakages or corruption.
He also called for closer cooperation among component parties during elections, saying PKR's machinery must work hard to help DAP candidates win in their constituencies, with DAP and Amanah providing the same support to PKR candidates.
"When PKR contests, regardless of who the candidate is in that area, DAP and Amanah must work as though their own candidates are contesting," he said.
Saifuddin said such solidarity would strengthen PH's electoral performance if all component parties put their shared interests first.
Recalling his early days in politics, he said he had accompanied Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu on political ceramah tours during semester breaks, including in Pekan, Pahang, and Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan.
They handled the public address system and lighting themselves and sold cassette tapes to cover travel expenses, he said, describing the sacrifices made in building the political movement more than 30 years ago.
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