They were commenting on Perkasa President Ibrahim Ali’s statement that he would be joining a political party before the upcoming 14th General Election (GE).

Speaking to FMT, political analyst Faizal Hazis said it would be better to field younger candidates in elections and for veteran politicians to play a more supportive role.

“Ultimately, if we want to move forward in politics we should allow the younger generation to contest,” he said.

He said the same applied to former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Parti Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia (Ikatan) president Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir, adding that people were craving for a new form of politics in the country.

Mahathir has announced that he would be helming a new political party that would work with other opposition parties to topple Prime Minister Najib Razak’s Umno-led Government.

“People want politics that is more inclusive and less race-based. If veterans are returning to the political arena then we will be getting the same thing we’ve gotten before,” said Faizal

Another political analyst, Jeniri Amir, agreed with Faizal that younger politicians should be given a chance to prove themselves.

“The fact that these veterans are now returning goes to show that there is a lack of capable leadership, so much so that they need to look to those who have previously left politics,” he told FMT.

He questioned the real motive behind Mahathir’s new party and whether it was merely to bring down Najib.

Jeniri was recently reported as saying that Mahathir and those in his camp would have been better off joining one of the three Pakatan Harapan component parties.

He had said that it was not easy for a new party to establish itself, more so in a short span of time before GE14.