VOTERS are not interested in voting for new parties in elections, Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said.

He said people do not want to “waste” their time and vote for new political parties as they feel these parties will have no impact on election outcomes. 

“New parties that have participated in the elections will not be the choice of voters, let alone if they compete for only a few seats. 

“It is impossible (for them) to be in power or contribute to the existing power. Because of that, voters think it’s a waste of time to vote,” Tengku Razaleigh, fondly known as Ku Li, told The Malaysian Insight in a recent interview. 

The recently concluded six-state elections saw youth-based Muda being handed a huge defeat in all 19 seats it contested, eventually losing their deposit. 

Likewise, Muda’s candidates, except for its president Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman, all lost in the last general election (GE) despite being an ally of Pakatan Harapan (PH). 

Ku Li, the country’s longest serving lawmaker, before losing the Gua Musang parliamentary seat in the GE, said parties like Muda should taken lessons from Dr Mahathir Mohamad-led Pejuang’s heavy defeat in the federal polls.

Pejuang also lost all their deposits in the seats it contested in the GE. 

“I think parties like Muda and others don’t get much support as expected because voters know in the end it will all be in vain (as these parties may not win). 

“Even though Pejuang was led by Dr Mahathir, the party was new and people didn’t back it.

“People these days are rather focused on the two-main blocs – one in power and the other trying to be in power,” he said. 

The six-state elections ended in status quo – with PH-Barisan Nasional retaining Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Penang, while Perikatan Nasional kept Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu. 

In the polls, Muda, PSM, 39 Independents – as well as five Bersatu associate members and 11 Gerakan candidates – lost their deposits.

The experienced former lawmaker is no stranger to forming parties, as he had formed Semangat 46 in 1988 to challenge Dr Mahathir’s Umno.

Back then, Semangat 46 formed coalitions with opposition parties to face the 1990 general election. Despite that, they performed poorly at the federal level.

Ku Li rejoined Umno in 1996. – August 19, 2023.