PARTI Kuasa Rakyat can acquire non-Malay votes for Barisan Nasional if it is brought into the pact, said party pro tem president Kamarazaman Yaakob.

He said his party will ace the task, in which MCA and MIC had both failed in past general elections (GE).

Kuasa Rakyat can also be the coalition’s multiracial component, a spot left void following Gerakan’s exit, he added.

“BN is left with only race-based parties following Gerakan’s departure (after GE14). In this situation, BN cannot attract some segments of society in this multiracial country,” Kamarazaman told The Malaysian Insight in an exclusive interview.

“MCA and MIC have failed to attract non-Malay voters in past GEs. Their victories were in Malay-majority constituencies, not non-Malay constituencies.

“MCA, especially, when contesting in a Chinese-majority city, has performed very badly. It almost lost deposits in some constituencies. It is clear that these two parties are not able to represent their own races.

“This is where Kuasa Rakyat comes in. The party will play its role in gaining the support of non-Malay voters in city centres and suburbs, as it leans more towards multiracialism and gives people an option.”

BN’s ethnic minority parties were almost wiped out in GE14 – MCA saw its seven parliamentary seats reduced to one; MIC managed to win one seat; and, Gerakan, which had two parliamentary seats, lost both.

MCA won another parliamentary seat via the Tanjung Piai by-election in 2019, when its candidate, Wee Jeck Seng, won by a whopping majority. However, the victory was also attributed to BN’s partnership with PAS.

Kuasa Rakyat not fussed about seat allocation

Kamarazaman, who is elder brother to Prime Minister and Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob, said BN needs a multiracial party like his party to attract non-Malay voters.

“Kuasa Rakyat can play a role in selling its ideology and garnering support for BN. It can contribute (as a component) as the two other ethnic-based parties, namely MCA and MIC, are no longer champions for their own race.

“That is the reality of the election results.”

He said Kuasa Rakyat is multiracial not only on papers, but this is also proven based on its structure.

“The party is structured in a way where the president has five deputies and five vice-chairmen, of whom are made up of one Malay, one Chinese, one Indian, one Sabahan and one Sarawakian.

“The party constitution clearly states this. So, this is the true multiracial party in this country,” he said, adding that the party has more than 70,000 members and counting.

Parti Kuasa Rakyat overcame possible obstacles in getting registered by taking over a 3-year-old Indian-based party, the Minority Rights Action Party (Mira).

Mira approved the change of ownership at its annual general assembly on December 19.

Kamarazaman said Kuasa Rakyat has yet to decide on any GE15 plans, pending its status to be part of BN.

Even if the party is not accepted into the coalition, it will still work for the latter as it has pledged to be BN-friendly, he added.

“If we become a component party, let the leadership decide on seat allocation; that can be discussed. (What is) most important is to be a component party.

“Our plan is not to target Malay-majority areas, but instead multiracial regions.

“We are unsure whether we will be accepted into BN, but still, we will have our members do BN’s election work because, as we said earlier, we are BN-friendly.” – January 2, 2022.