PARTI Kuasa Rakyat will be government-friendly for the moment and decide to join Barisan Nasional (BN) at a later date, its pro-tem president Kamarazaman Yaakob said today. 

Speaking to reporters after the launch of his new party, Kamarazaman – a former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee in the 1970s – said his party would not be able to realise its aim if they chose to be in the opposition. 

“We are a government-friendly party because we won’t be able to give free education to the poor, free healthcare and free housing to poor families if we are not close to the government. 

“Parti Kuasa Rakyat is a multiracial party and if BN sees our strength and realises we are strong, there is no problem for us to be in their government,” said Kamarazaman. 

Kamarazaman is the older brother to Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is also Umno vice president. 

He was president of the Universiti Malaya Student Union from 1973 to 1974. 

Kamarazaman was one of the student leaders who participated in the Baling demonstration in 1974 to protest against declining rubber prices, and was later detained under the now defunct ISA together with Anwar Ibrahim. 

He was released in 1976, two years after his arrest.

Meanwhile, Kamarazaman said it was still early for his party to decide on contesting in the upcoming general election, or the state polls in Malacca.

He said his focus now was to promote the party.

“It is very early for us to decide. We want the people to know who we are, what we want to do, our objective and our principles.

“We are not looking at seats, how many seats we can get,” he added.

He launched his new party today in Kuala Lumpur, vowing to fight for the poor.

Kuasa would be open to all races.

Other pro-tem committee members include former Padang Serai MP N. Gobalakrishnan, G25 member Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Hassan, Gabriel Walter, Mohamad Nasir Saludin, Hamzah Jaaffar, Anas Yusof Sulaiman, Sahandri Gani Hamzah, Helmi Ibrahim, Razali Abd Razak, Suharmili Rosle and Ching Eu Boon. – October 10, 2021.