Muhyiddin says agreement to support Anwar on key parliamentary votes unrelated to Melaka polls

Six Bersatu lawmakers signed the agreement committing to support Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government, where PH is the largest coalition, through to the end of the current parliamentary term.

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KUALA LUMPUR: An agreement by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and other lawmakers to support Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's government on key parliamentary votes does not signal an electoral alliance between Bersatu and Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the upcoming Melaka state election, Muhyiddin said. 

“That is a separate question. That has nothing to do with (the agreement) here,” Muhyiddin, a former prime minister, was quoted as saying by local news platform Free Malaysia Today after the signing of the agreement in parliament on Thursday (Oct 29).

Six Bersatu lawmakers alongside Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who is from the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA), had signed the Confidence and Supply Agreement (CSA), committing to support Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government, where PH is the largest coalition, through to the end of the current parliamentary term. 

They were Muhyiddin, Putrajaya MP Radzi Jidin, Saratok MP Ali Biju, Langkawi MP Suhaimi Abdullah, Merbok MP Nazri Abu Hassan and Padang Serai MP Azman Nasrudin. 

Besides Syed Saddiq, six other independent MPs who had previously declared their support for Anwar’s unity government also signed the agreement.

They are Bukit Gantang MP Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal, Labuan MP Suhaili Abdul Rahman, Kuala Kangsar MP Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid, Jeli MP Zahari Kechik, Gua Musang MP Mohd Azizi Abu Naim and Tanjung Karang MP Zulkafperi Hanapi. 

The agreement was facilitated by Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof, according to local news platform The Star. 

A CSA is a political pact where opposition MPs agree to back the government in key parliamentary votes, such as budgets and confidence motions, without formally joining the ruling coalition.  

In Sep 2021, former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob also signed a CSA with PH. 

This time, the lawmakers called for a two-term limit on the prime minister’s tenure and the separation of the attorney-general and public prosecutor’s roles before the current administration's mandate expires.

Additionally, they demanded equal constituency development funding matching the allocations currently granted to government backbenchers.

Muhyiddin emphasised that Bersatu would remain in opposition to provide effective checks and balances despite the agreement. He added that while the CSA is expected to remain in force until parliament is dissolved, the pact could be terminated if either party fails to honour its commitments. 

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In a Facebook post on Thursday, Anwar said that the CSA served as a foundation to bolster political stability, ensure the continuity of governance, and provide room for the effective execution of the national development agenda, including the 2027 budget, in the interest of the public. 

“In a democracy, differing views should not impede efforts to build a better future. Political maturity requires all parties to place national interest above narrow political motives to ensure Malaysia remains peaceful, stable, and prosperous, with the people's well-being safeguarded at all times,” he had said.

The CSA comes at a time of broader political recalibration, with growing strains emerging both within the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) alliance and between unity government partners PH and Barisan Nasional (BN).  

Although Bersatu is a component of the PN opposition coalition, internal rifts have deepened following a split in the party that pitted Muhyiddin against its former deputy president Hamzah Zainudin.

Hamzah went on to launch Parti Wawasan Negara following his sacking from Bersatu in early 2026. Wawasan was then admitted into PN.  

Friction within the broader opposition alliance continued to mount, culminating in Bersatu filing a complaint with the Registrar of Societies (RoS) for excluding the party from a PN Supreme Council meeting in July. 

The party had also contested in the recent Negeri Sembilan state elections, where it lost all 24 seats it had contested in the 36-seat state assembly.   

Bersatu has announced it will field candidates in eight of Melaka’s 28 state seats, setting up direct contests against PH in four of those constituencies. 

Polling for the Melaka state election is scheduled for Nov 14, with nomination day on Oct 31 and early voting on Nov 10.

Nearly 700,000 voters in Melaka are set to cast their ballots in the state polls. 

Bersatu was originally a key component PH coalition that won the 2018 general elections but following the political maneuvering known as the "Sheraton Move" in February 2020, the party withdrew from PH, triggering the collapse of the federal government then. 

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