Pakatan Harapan Youth wings have differing opinions over Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), the new opposition party which will only open its membership to bumiputera, while non-bumiputera are associate members.

DAP Youth political education director Chiong Yoke Kong on Thursday came out with guns blazing, slamming Bersatu as "racist" and dismissing the “doomed to fail” party.

However, DAP Youth chief Wong Kah Woh, in responding to the scathing comments made by Chiong, who appeared to have jumped the gun, stated that the wing's formal stance towards Bersatu had yet to be discussed by party leaders.

Meanwhile, PKR and Amanah Youth wings both expressed misgivings over Bersatu but said they were still open to working with the new party if the goal was to oust BN.

Weighing into Bersatu's membership controversy, PKR Youth secretary-general Chang Li Kang said he disagreed with the new party on that score.

“To differentiate party member according to race is outdated... We don't agree on this party’s principle, but we can stand together in our anti-BN stance,” Chang told Malaysiakini.

He cited as an example, PKR collaborating with PAS even though it disagreed with some of the Islamist party's policies.

However, he said discussions on cooperation with the new opposition party may be premature as Bersatu's registration had yet to be accepted by the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

Meanwhile, Amanah Youth chief Sany Hamzan said he, too, was prepared to work with Bersatu if it meant toppling BN.

“In principle, any political party, NGO and individual who wish to save the nation would receive support from Amanah Youth,” he told Malaysiakini.

Alternative party to Umno

Sany added that Amanah Youth would not interfere with Bersatu's racialist membership as he understood that this was a strategy specifically aimed at Umno, whose membership is only open to bumiputera.

“We need to respect Bersatu's decision... it has its own strategy to attract Umno members who disagree with the Umno leadership.

"These members have to find a new party to fight for the Malays and bumiputera,” he said, adding that the purpose of Bersatu is to replace Umno as the party for Malays and bumiputera.

According to Sany, some Umno members were seeking an alternative Malay party and Bersatu is offering them that option.

DAP's Wong Kah Woh said while the party’s Youth wing disagreed with Bersatu's race-based concept, there was no decision yet on cooperating with Bersatu.

He also hoped that going forward, even though Bersatu is a race-based party, it will avoid playing the racial card.

DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke described Chiong's stinging criticism of Bersatu as a "personal opinion".

"DAP never said it will collaborate with this party (Bersatu). Hence, his statement does not represent the party's central leadership," said Loke.

He added that Bersatu had also not formally requested for cooperation and it was still premature for such discussions.

Former Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin submitted the registration for Bersatu, which is backed by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, on Tuesday.