Its newly-elected vice-chief R Sri Sanjeevan said the associate wing would focus on non-Malay majority seats in Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Selangor and Penang to break its losing streak at the polls.

“In GE16, we are aiming to win several parliamentary and state seats, to break our winless run,” he told FMT.

He said the wing, which has 26 divisions across the country, would endeavour to shift the perception non-Malays have of Bersatu, and to gain their confidence that the party fights for all races.

“Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional need to champion the issues non-Malays face, only then will their trust in us increase. We can see that such efforts need to be multiplied.”

The associate wing was formally established in 2021 in hopes of attracting non-Malay support.

However, it has failed to achieve that so far, with the wing’s candidates facing losses at the 2022 general election and the six state elections the following year.

Bersatu associate wing chief Chong Fat Full had faced calls to step down during its convention last year over the election defeats. Nonetheless, it was confirmed today that he had defended his party post for the 2024-2027 term uncontested.