Bersatu loses almost all deposits, Berjasa gains ground

N SEMBILAN POLLS | Bersatu has suffered yet another massive defeat, raising questions as to whether the party led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin is still relevant after PAS effectively sidelined it in Perikatan Nasional.

The results of the Negeri Sembilan election show that Bersatu lost its deposits in 23 of the 24 seats it contested, failing to secure the 12.5 percent vote share needed to get its money back.

Among those who lost their deposits was Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz, who contested in Sikamat.

The only Bersatu candidate to keep their deposit was R Sanjeevan, the acting head of the party's associate members wing who secured 19 percent of the votes in Jeram Padang.

Previously, analysts Malaysiakini spoke to said that if Bersatu wanted to remain relevant, the party would have to at least act as a spoiler for PN, which it also failed to do.

Meanwhile, Bersatu splinter party Parti Wawasan Negara, led by Muhyiddin's former deputy Hamzah Zainudin, managed to win three of the four seats it contested under the PN logo, and retained its deposits.

Another blow to Bersatu's ego is that in Nilai, PAS splinter party Berjasa kept its deposit with 18 percent of the votes while Bersatu’s candidate only received 2 percent of voters.

The last time Berjasa contested an election and kept its deposit was in 1995 during the Kelantan state election, according to electiondata.my.

Other losses

Urimai, which contested two seats under the Bersatu logo, also lost its deposit.

Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali, in a statement after the election wipeout, said the party would study the results to strengthen itself.

He said they would also consider exploring a new coalition of moderates and progressives, likely referring to Ikatan Prihatin Rakyat, a loose coalition that Muhyiddin formed with PN components and other opposition parties, including Urimai, Putra, Berjasa, Malaysian Advancement Party, and the National Indian Muslim Alliance Party.

Meanwhile, Pakatan Harapan also lost its deposit in Palong, where the Amanah candidate bagged just nine percent of votes while the BN candidate had an 88 percent vote share.

PSM, all independent candidates, and the Orang Asli party, also lost all their deposits.

Reporting by Zikri Kamarulzaman, Koh Jun Lin, and Zarrah Morden

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