YOURSAY | “For Rafizi, the choice of candidates is critical.”

Bersama to contest in Johor, likely to target DAP, Umno seats

Milshah: Malaysian voters, they are stubbornly loyal to the party they voted for. They may complain, dance, wrestle, play chess, jump up and down in the comments section, but when voting time comes, they will vote for the party they voted for all these years.

This was how BN won for 60 years.

BN was defeated only once, and that was at the 14th general election, and that was because former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad led Pakatan Harapan and was able to convince a large majority of Malays to vote for Harapan.

There was no clear winner at GE15, and therefore, the unity government was formed.

It will be very tough for Bersama to penetrate such stubbornly loyal voters.

So I would say Bersama goes into the election with principles and good morale, so even if you lose, you have your dignity intact, knowing you fought the good fight.

Bersama also needs to be thick-skinned, as in the event of loss, the keyboard warriors will bash like nobody's business.

Keyboard warriors just know how to criticise from afar using a keyboard, without actually going into the real fight, thus the term "keyboard warrior".

PinkJaguar7289: This is my honest assessment of the seats that Bersama will likely win in the upcoming Johor state election.

They will win two seats or fewer, unless they field very strong names and Harapan/PKR collapses locally.

The most realistic Bersama targets are Larkin, Bukit Batu and Kempas. These have enough urban/mixed electorate and previous PKR/Muda-type voting pools to give Bersama oxygen.

Most likely, spoiler seats are Stulang, Tangkak, Jementah and Bukit Batu. In these seats, Bersama can cut into Harapan votes and help BN.

Hard seats for Bersama are Buloh Kasap, Layang-Layang, Serom and Gambir. These need strong Malay machinery.

Bersama’s reformist/professional brand alone is not enough against Umno and Perikatan Nasional.

For Rafizi, the choice of candidates is critical. Bersama cannot depend on his national image alone.

To increase its chances beyond merely splitting votes, Bersama must field candidates with the calibre, visibility and administrative credibility of leaders like Johor BN chairperson, Onn Hafiz Ghazi - candidates who look ready to govern, not just protest.

Johor voters, especially in mixed and semi-urban seats, will not swing merely because a new party appears on the ballot.

They must see serious local figures with clean records, strong ground presence, policy depth and the ability to speak across Malay, Chinese and Indian voters.

Kacang: Bersama would have a better chance with PKR seats. Why handicap oneself from the word go? Are the people more important, or is “jaga” (taking care of) his kawan-kawan (friends) in PKR more important? Really disappointing the people right from the start.

P Ramlee: Rafizi should “kamikaze” alone; don't drag DAP and Harapan along. Rafizi should also consult experts to help him get over the PKR election losses and reenter Malaysian politics; right now, he's wasting his time and heading nowhere.

FactsMatter6628: Not trying to pour cold water, but just being pragmatic. I hope that Bersama will not follow the footsteps of Pejuang led by Mahathir, as they lost all seats, including deposits.

I have yet to see where the machinery and the causes they are fighting for. Backstabbing your previous party and leadership won't take you far. Let's have something more refreshing and convincing.

Dino: Hope Bersama can break the traditional stranglehold of these old parties, like what C Joseph Vijay, the actor turned Tamil Nadu chief minister, did recently during the state election in India.

These old parties mostly have old faces, which became stale over time.

Fair Play: The reality.

When the rakyat have lost faith in both PKR and DAP, Bersama is the best choice they have in GE16.

BlueCougar1744: Malaysians must move forward with the times to serve the interests of all and must start discarding the warlordship of any party.

They are to serve the interests of voters and not have voters beg them to serve them. Let's have a clear mind about who politicians are.

Bersama will provide them with the platform for change.

Outlier: Don’t forget to contest in Skudai too.

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