The party’s youth wing chief, Wan Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal said Bersatu must champion the people regardless of their background if it intends to gain power in Putrajaya at the next general election.

Wan Fayhsal, who is Machang MP, hopes the opposition will gain more support following Bersatu’s decision to empower its associate wing, along with the decision by its ally PAS to allow non-Muslims to become associate members.

Citing the party’s associate wing chief Chong Fat Full as an example, Wan Fayhsal said at Bersatu, non-Malays are given posts that are of the same stature as a vice-president.

“We are confident that we will be fielding many non-Malay candidates at the 16th general election who will be put front and centre in mixed seats to give Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional a run for their money.

“This is why we need to champion the plight of the people regardless of their ethnicity,” he told FMT.

However, the party should not forgo the championing of the Malay Muslim struggle which was the basis of the party’s formation in 2017, said Wan Fayhsal, who is stepping down as Youth chief for a spot on Bersatu’s 20-seat Supreme Council.

He said the call to be more inclusive also stems from the realisation that the party could no longer depend on protest votes from Umno members, especially after the past two by-elections.

“To wean off our dependence on protest votes, we need a manifesto, a narrative and a leadership that inspires confidence. Leaders need to be scandal free as it puts voters off and they become a liability to the party,” he said.

Last Saturday, Bersatu Supreme Council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan said that the party must move away from reliance on protest votes and establish itself as a centre-right party if it wishes to return to government.

He said the party cannot continue to rely on protest votes as that era has ended.