KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — The days of one party being dominant enough to form the federal government are over, said Johor DAP Youth chief Sheikh ‘Umar Bagharib Ali.

In an interview with Utusan Malaysia published today, he said this was evident after the 14th general election which saw the defeat of the once-mighty Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN).

He added that in the current climate, all political parties must work with other parties to ensure their long-term political survival.

“I have no right to speak on the behalf of all parties so what I say is just my personal opinion. Yes, we need each other. DAP needs PKR and PKR needs Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah), and so on to form a coalition,” he told the Malay daily.

Advertisement

“No single party can claim to be dominant enough to form a government. Umno isn’t dominant. Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia is the same, along with other parties like PKR and DAP.

“So politics in Malaysia requires cooperation, as no single party is strong enough to form a government.”

Sheikh ‘Umar’s comments come on the heels of recent comments by Amanah communications director Khalid Abdul Samad, in which he claimed that DAP has no problem working with Umno in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s new government.

Advertisement

On September 23, Anwar claimed to have enough support in the Dewan Rakyat from a “strong, convincing” majority of MPs to unseat the Perikatan Nasional administration.

Khalid’s claim has since been refuted by DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng who said the party will never work with Umno under the leadership of its current president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Sheikh ‘Umar, while not addressing this issue directly, alluded to it by saying that in order for any form of cooperation to work, all parties must hold the same honourable and transparent principles.

In the same interview, he also echoed the call to put any plans for a general election on the backburner until the Covid-19 pandemic is under control.

“Even if there were another change of government, there is no guarantee that it will benefit the people.

The people are still unhappy with the current situation, the pandemic, the economy and so on,” he was quoted as saying.