KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah has renewed calls for Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional (PN) to embrace a more inclusive and moderate political approach, warning that ethnic exclusivity could limit the coalition’s ability to govern a diverse Malaysia.
Speaking during the Trick Lama podcast hosted by Terence Fernandez, editor-in-chief of Big Boom Media Group which publishes Scoop, the recently dismissed Saifuddin said Bersatu must evolve beyond narrow racial politics if it intends to remain relevant nationally.
The show was co-hosted by group chief executive Datuk Zainul Arifin and group executive director Datuk Ahirudin Attan, also known as Rocky Bru.
The Indera Mahkota MP said efforts had already been made within Bersatu to broaden its appeal, including amending the party’s constitution to accommodate non-Malay Bumiputera members.
“We amended the constitution to establish a wing for non-Malay Bumiputera,” Saifuddin said.
“This was part of our belief that Bersatu should be nationalist, but inclusive. Nationalist does not mean exclusionary.”
He stressed that inclusive politics was not a departure from the party’s founding principles, but rather a necessary adjustment to Malaysia’s social and political realities.
“Malaysia is a plural society. If we want to govern effectively, we must reflect that reality in our politics,” he said.
“You cannot claim to represent the nation if your politics only speaks to one segment.”
The need for moderation
Saifuddin also addressed PN’s ideological positioning, arguing that the coalition must define itself clearly within a moderate spectrum to remain competitive.
“In PN, you have parties that lean centre-right and others that are more conservative. That is normal in a coalition,” he said.
“What matters is whether we can agree on a common platform that is moderate, responsible and acceptable to the majority of Malaysians.”
He said moderation was critical to counter perceptions that PN was drifting towards rigid or hardline politics, particularly among urban and non-Malay voters.
“If we are seen as too extreme, we will not win the confidence of the middle ground,” Saifuddin said.
“Politics today is about the centre. Whoever captures the centre will form the government.”
The former minister emphasised that inclusivity should be institutionalised rather than treated as a temporary electoral strategy.
“This is not about winning one election,” he said. “This is about building a political culture that can sustain governance, unity and stability in the long term.”
Saifuddin was dismissed from Bersatu on January 6, following a decision by the party’s disciplinary board, which found him guilty of breaching the party’s constitution and code of ethics.
He was among seven senior party members expelled in recent months, including Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal and Wan Saiful Wan Jan, amid growing tensions over the party’s leadership and direction under Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. – January 13, 2026