Hamzah Zainudin’s entry: The 5-way split of the Malay vote bank!
By R.Mutharasan
Kuala Lumpur: As the nation charts its high-stakes course toward GE16, the pivotal Malay vote bank is poised to fracture across five distinct political currents:
- UMNO-Barisan Nasional: Representing the traditional establishment and institutional status quo.
- PKR-Pakatan Harapan: Anchoring the moderate, reformist, and multi-ethnic governance platform.
- PAS-Bersatu (Perikatan Nasional): The incumbent conservative, Islamist-nationalist opposition bloc.
- Parti Bersama: Spearheaded by Rafizi Ramli, who is expected to mount an independent crusade completely unaligned with any established coalition.
- Hamzah Zainudin’s New Party: Emerging as the volatile fifth faction capable of rewriting the opposition calculus.
The most probable trajectory is that Hamzah will seek to embed his new apparatus alongside PAS under the broader PN umbrella, given that he maintains excellent backchannel relations with the Islamist party’s top brass. He was recently seen sharing a stage with PAS President Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.
However, significant friction endures between Hamzah and PAS leadership. PAS previously played a central role in removing Hamzah from his prestigious post as Opposition Leader in Parliament, replacing him with Terengganu menteri besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.
Furthermore, given the vitriolic, deeply personal animosity between Hamzah and Bersatu chief Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, it is highly improbable that both titans can peacefully coexist within the same alliance, Perikatan Nasional. If Bersatu retains its primacy within PN, Hamzah will be forced to absorb former Bersatu dissidents into his standalone outfit, which will operate as an isolated fifth Malay faction.
Conversely, if PAS chooses to formally embrace Hamzah, Bersatu may find itself entirely squeezed out of the coalition, forcing itself to survive independently or form another coalition.
There are also speculations that Azmin Ali and Muhyiddin Yassin would bring Bersatu into Pakatan if the unity government falls due to UMNO’s exit from the current Madani government. However, AzminAli has denied such speculations.
Regardless of how these alliances are formed, it looks certain that the Malay electorate is racing toward an unprecedented five-way fragmentation.
(Pic: Hamzah Zainudin addressing supporters in one of the RESET meetings)
