Bersama a potential rival for support of younger voters, says PAS veep

PETALING JAYA: PAS vice-president Amar Abdullah warned today that PAS must take Parti Bersama Malaysia seriously, describing the party led by Rafizi Ramli as a potential rival for the support of younger voters.

Amar said PAS’s long-time members would not be swayed, but that younger voters, especially first-time voters, might be attracted to Bersama’s approach to politics.

“Other parties, including PAS, must take this seriously. (We must think about) how not to lose younger voters.

“The issues championed by Rafizi, such as matters of governance and abuse of power, are close to the hearts of younger voters who are generally idealistic,” Sinar Harian reported him as saying in Kota Bharu, Kelantan.

Amar also praised Bersama’s “clever” open candidate system, saying no one had yet been able to accurately analyse the party’s true strength.

On June 8, Bersama leaders Rafizi and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the party had opened applications to all Malaysians interested in being election candidates, with priority given to those in Johor and Negeri Sembilan.

Applicants must register as members and go through a three-phase assessment system that requires them to declare their income and assets along with their education, career, and family backgrounds.

They will be screened based on their backgrounds, while qualitative surveys will be conducted in their local communities to gather feedback on them.

On Sunday, Rafizi said Bersama hoped to have 70% of its election candidates under the age of 50 and would do its best to field as many women candidates as possible.