Faezuddin Puad, representing Pakatan Harapan in the Kempas contest, has mounted an unconventional campaign strategy by directly targeting supporters of Bersatu Rakyat Semua, the party founded by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. His message is straightforward: a vote for Pakatan in this by-election serves as a protest against PAS Islamist Party's recent decision to formally align with Barisan Nasional, a move that has fundamentally altered Malaysia's political landscape and exposed latent tensions within the opposition bloc.
The Kempas by-election, held in Johor, has become more than a simple contest to fill a vacant parliamentary seat. It represents a critical juncture where opposition parties are competing not only against Barisan Nasional but also against each other, revealing the fragility of the political partnerships forged after the 2022 general election. Faezuddin's appeal to Bersatu voters highlights how individual constituencies are becoming battlegrounds for broader ideological and strategic disputes within Malaysia's fractious opposition movement.
PAS's formal backing for Barisan Nasional represents a significant realignment that has surprised many observers of Malaysian politics. The Islamist party, which previously maintained a more ambiguous position and had collaborated with Pakatan in past elections, has now publicly thrown its weight behind the long-ruling coalition. This development has left Bersatu in an awkward position, as the party seeks to maintain its claim as an anti-establishment force while watching its former opposition allies drift toward the very political structure it has positioned itself against.
Bersatu's political trajectory since its founding has been characterised by volatility and strategic repositioning. The party emerged from the 2020 political crisis as a kingmaker but has struggled to establish a stable base or clear ideological direction. By appealing to Bersatu supporters, Faezuddin is essentially offering them an alternative vehicle through which to express dissatisfaction with the political establishment, arguing that Pakatan represents a more principled opposition stance than alliances with Barisan Nasional.
The timing of Faezuddin's appeal is particularly significant given the broader context of Malaysian politics. Since the 2022 general election, Pakatan has been attempting to rebuild its coalition after its devastating loss, which dramatically reduced its parliamentary representation. The loss of PAS to Barisan Nasional's orbit represents a major setback for opposition unity efforts. Faezuddin's campaign strategy suggests that Pakatan is now attempting to compensate for this loss by appealing to floating voters and supporters of smaller opposition parties.
For Malaysian voters in Johor and elsewhere, this by-election illuminates the complex calculations that shape electoral outcomes. The appeal to Bersatu supporters demonstrates how by-elections often become proxy battles where voters send messages beyond the immediate constituency. A strong Pakatan performance in Kempas could signal voter dissatisfaction with both Barisan Nasional's continued dominance and PAS's decision to formally join the coalition, while simultaneously challenging Bersatu's political relevance.
The fragmentation visible in Kempas reflects deeper structural problems within Malaysia's opposition movement. Unlike Barisan Nasional, which despite internal tensions has maintained institutional coherence through formal structures and shared access to state resources, opposition parties lack equivalent binding mechanisms. Pakatan itself remains loosely organised, with its component parties—PKR, DAP, and Amanah—sometimes pursuing divergent electoral and policy objectives. The absence of PAS, which has now become hostile to Pakatan, further weakens opposition unity.
Bersatu's position deserves particular attention from Malaysian observers. The party has attempted to position itself as neither fully aligned with Pakatan nor with Barisan Nasional, maintaining rhetorical independence while navigating complex state-level politics across multiple territories. Faezuddin's overture to Bersatu supporters suggests that Pakatan views the party's voter base as potentially recoverable, at least in constituencies where this strategy might succeed. However, success in Kempas alone would not resolve the deeper questions about opposition coherence that PAS's departure has exposed.
The regional implications also warrant consideration. Southeast Asian politics has become increasingly fluid, with voters across the region becoming more willing to shift their allegiances when dissatisfied with established parties. Malaysia's opposition movement, which once appeared to offer an credible alternative to Barisan Nasional, now finds itself struggling to maintain voter confidence as the movement splinters into competing camps. The Kempas by-election result will offer valuable data about whether voters remain willing to support Pakatan, or whether defections to Barisan Nasional accelerate further.
Faezuddin's campaign strategy, whether successful or not, signals that Pakatan has adapted to political realities rather than remaining fixated on opposition unity as previously constructed. By openly courting Bersatu supporters, the coalition acknowledges that the old partnership structures have broken down. This represents both flexibility and weakness—flexibility in adapting campaign tactics to changing circumstances, but weakness in failing to prevent opposition fragmentation that benefits the ruling coalition. The Kempas result will largely determine whether Pakatan's new strategy can rebuild momentum or whether the party's declining influence becomes irreversible.
