THE unity government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is capable of retaining federal power in the 16th general election (GE16), Amanah president Mohamad Sabu said today.

He said the coalitions in the ruling pact will also be able to win back four states currently in the hands of Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Mohamad added that his confidence stemmed from the strength of the coalition partners in the government of the day.

“Our close cooperation in the unity coalition will enable us to return to power and to seize the four PN states,” he said in his presidential speech at Amanah’s national congress in Klang today.

Following the 2022 general election, Anwar led Pakatan Harapan to join forces with former rival Barisan Nasional along with Sabah’s GRS and Sarawak’s GPS to form the unity government.

In his speech, Mohamad called on the parties in the unity government to remain united and not work against each other.

“We must help each other, not work against each other. This is our hope… unity will give birth to strength,” he said.

The two-day annual convention will also see party elections to choose a line of 27 leaders who will lead Amanah until 2026.

Mohamad also addressed criticisms of Amanah’s declining strength in successive elections, including its ability to attract Malay voters as demonstrated in the six state elections in August.

So far, Amanah has gone through two rounds of general elections, in 2018 and 2022. In GE14, it won 11 parliamentary seats and this was reduced to eight seats in GE15.

Mohamad said Amanah’s strength lies in its strategic and political approach that advocates for coalition politics. He emphasised that to win elections, a political party must seek compatible partners who share the same goals and aspirations.

“It’s not just a marriage of convenience because such a coalition would not last and would be very fragile,” he said. – December 23, 2023.