PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan (PH) must be willing to cooperate with any party, including Bersatu, so long as the parties share the same goals of fighting corruption, abuse of power and extreme racial ideologies, says Amanah secretary-general Faiz Fadzil.
He said closing the door to such cooperation would make it difficult for the coalition to win more seats in the coming elections, adding that PH must work to win over Malay voters in the Nov 14 Melaka state polls.
“We need more friends than enemies. If (working with) other parties can increase PH’s value, we must take that opportunity,” he told FMT.
The Amanah leader’s remarks come after party communications director Khalid Samad urged the coalition earlier today to go solo in the upcoming Melaka polls and the next general election against Umno and PAS.
Khalid said going solo would allow PH to present a united front against the Umno-PAS alliance and offer policies and candidates with clear principles, without confusion over political manoeuvring.
Faiz said the suggestion for PH to go solo referred to the absence of cooperation between the coalition and BN and was not a call to shut the door on working with other parties.
“It does not mean PH must close the door to cooperating with any party that shares the same political agenda and objectives.
“Political cooperation can take various forms, including structured political coalitions, electoral pacts or the formation of new alliances. We have always advocated the concept of a ‘big tent’,” he said.
Former Melaka DAP chairman Damian Yeo has said he would boycott PH’s campaign for the Melaka state election if an electoral understanding is reached with Bersatu.
The former Duyong assemblyman said the “wound from being stabbed in the back is still fresh”, referring to Bersatu’s role in the collapse of the PH-led federal and Melaka governments in 2020.