12 opposition parties agree to form loose coalition against govt

12 opposition parties agree to form loose coalition against govt

N Faizal Ghazali
Published: Aug 18, 2025 5:54 PM
Updated: 8:18 PM



Twelve opposition parties have agreed to form a loose coalition to champion issues which they claim the Madani government has failed to resolve, including its reform pledges.

The coalition comprises Bersatu, PAS, Gerakan, Pejuang, Muda, Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP), Putra, People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Berjasa, PSM, Malaysian Advancement Party (MAP), and the National Indian Muslim Alliance Party (Iman).

The coalition also includes Urimai, which has not yet succeeded in being registered as a legitimate political party. 😢😢😢

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin said the coalition will focus on key current issues faced by the people and will decide its name at the next meeting.

“We are unanimous here; not a single party leader disagrees that this is something which must be given attention and priority, including matters related to the 13th Malaysia Plan currently being tabled and debated, which fails to resolve many major issues by the government.

“We have made this our first joint decision. After this, there will be many other matters to be discussed, including with certain groups in society.

“At the next stage, we will arrange meetings with traders, entrepreneurs, and specific groups to understand the problems they are facing and propose certain approaches for the government to resolve them,” he said at a press conference after meeting with coalition component party leaders in Kuala Lumpur today.

“We have not set out specific matters, but anything we believe is of common interest - whether political, economic, social, educational, and so forth - can be discussed together on this platform and decisions taken jointly.

“It is not a single party, but many parties. (This coalition) is loose to allow us to invite all party leaders who are present.

“It does not necessarily have to be within PN to discuss certain matters. Instead, our focus is on finding ways to help resolve the problems faced by the people,” he said.

High cost of living

Elaborating further, the Pagoh MP said that among the issues in which the opposition parties had taken a common stance was the cost of living, which they claimed is the heaviest burden on the people.

He said that although inflation remains low, the cost of living and prices of goods in many places are higher compared to before.

According to Muhyiddin, one of the causes of this increase was the targeted fuel subsidy, which had impacted logistics costs.

Therefore, he said, the people are now shouldering the burden of various policies that the government has implemented and is in the process of implementing.

“In addition, the second issue concerns taxes imposed by the government, including the sales and service tax, which has been extended to nearly 6,000 types of goods since July 1, and its effects are being borne by the business sector,” he said.