Parti Wawasan Negara (Wawasan), led by Hamzah Zainudin, may have little choice but to adopt a model similar to Bersatu if it hopes to establish a meaningful role within the opposition bloc, according to political analyst James Chin.
The view comes after Indera Mahkota MP Saifuddin Abdullah, a close ally of Hamzah, said the party’s “Reset” movement seeks to encourage a political realignment towards a more mature, stable, multiracial and moderate democracy.
Wawasan likely to follow Bersatu model
Chin, of the University of Tasmania, said Wawasan would face significant challenges presenting itself as a multiracial party given its expected role as Bersatu’s replacement within Perikatan Nasional (PN).
“Hamzah has no choice. His party is basically relying on PAS, so it cannot be a multiracial party,” Chin told FMT.
He said Wawasan’s structure, membership profile and political direction would likely mirror Bersatu’s approach.
“Its role is to replace Bersatu in PN, so its membership — and everything else — has to follow the Bersatu model.
“Hamzah’s basically reaching out to urban Muslims or Malays who are uncomfortable voting for a religious party like PAS. The party is very much a sub-branch of PAS, if you ask me,” he said.
Chin also argued that Wawasan’s primary support base would inevitably remain Bumiputera voters, while Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) would continue occupying the multiracial space within PN.
Asked whether Malaysia has room for another Malay-based party, he said electoral performance mattered more than the number of parties competing in the political landscape.
Race-based politics remains influential
Akademi Nusantara fellow Azmi Hassan shared a similar assessment, noting that Hamzah had never promoted a multiracial political ideology throughout his long political career.
“It would be very odd if Wawasan is branded as having such a philosophy,” he said, adding that the racial composition of the 13 Bersatu MPs aligned with Hamzah would make such branding difficult.
Azmi said Malaysia’s political environment remains heavily shaped by race-based politics, creating challenges for multiracial parties seeking to gain independent traction.
“I think branding Wawasan as a multiracial party is going to take a lot of effort, but it can be done,” he said.
Cooperation with PAS not necessarily a barrier
Despite the challenges, Azmi said close cooperation with PAS does not automatically prevent Wawasan from adopting a broader political identity.
“We know that Wawasan will be working closely with PAS, which is basically very different from the multiracial party concept.
“But if PAS can accept Zaid Ibrahim, who is considered liberal in his own right, I don’t see any reason why Wawasan cannot be a multiracial party and still work closely with PAS in this particular case,” he said.
Hamzah unveiled Wawasan during the Reset convention in Tanah Merah, Kelantan, last Saturday and announced that the party would hold its first annual general assembly this week.
He also revealed plans to cooperate with PAS, Gerakan and several other parties, signalling his intention to work alongside PN.
