New party Wawasan wants to offer ‘something fresh’ in Malaysian politics, but Bersatu shadow looms

Close Top Stories Asia East Asia Singapore World Commentary CNA Explains Sustainability Business Sport Latest News Insider TODAY Big Read Up Close In Pixels Ground Up Voices Adulting Mental Health Matters Watch Live TV News Reports Documentaries & Shows TV Schedule Listen CNA938 Live Podcasts Radio Schedule Special Reports Singapore Parliament Mental Health Interactives Lifestyle Entertainment Women Wellness Living Style & Beauty Dining Travel Luxury Experiences Obsessions People Remarkable Living Sustainability Newsletters CNA Eyewitness Send us a news tip Events & Partnerships Branded Content Business Blueprint Health Matters The Asian Traveller Brand Studio Learning Minds Weather Edition: Singapore Indonesia Asia World Search Trending Topics CNA Explains China artificial intelligence Indonesia Malaysia podcasts Wellness Thailand Japan Follow CNA Follow our news Facebook X Youtube LinkedIn RSS Close Top Stories Asia East Asia Singapore World Commentary CNA Explains Sustainability Business Sport Latest News Insider TODAY Big Read Up Close In Pixels Ground Up Voices Adulting Mental Health Matters Watch Live TV News Reports Documentaries & Shows TV Schedule Listen CNA938 Live Podcasts Radio Schedule Special Reports Singapore Parliament Mental Health Interactives Lifestyle Entertainment Women Wellness Living Style & Beauty Dining Travel Luxury Experiences Obsessions People Remarkable Living Sustainability Newsletters CNA Eyewitness Send us a news tip Events & Partnerships Branded Content Business Blueprint Health Matters The Asian Traveller Brand Studio Learning Minds Weather Edition: Singapore Indonesia Asia World Search Trending Topics CNA Explains China artificial intelligence Indonesia Malaysia podcasts Wellness Thailand Japan Follow CNA Follow our news Facebook X Youtube LinkedIn RSS Recent Searches Trending Topics CNA Explains China artificial intelligence Indonesia Malaysia podcasts Wellness Thailand Japan Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asia New party Wawasan wants to offer ‘something fresh’ in Malaysian politics, but Bersatu shadow looms The new party’s secretary-general Saifuddin Abdullah tells CNA it wants to offer a more moderate and inclusive brand of politics, but analysts argue it must first prove its relevance, starting with the upcoming Negeri Sembilan state polls. Leaders of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition at the Reset convention in Tanah Merah, Kelantan, on Jun 13, 2026, where Parti Wawasan Negara was officially unveiled. (Photo: Facebook/Hamzah Zainudin) New: You can now listen to articles.

This audio is generated by an AI tool. Rashvinjeet S Bedi Rashvinjeet S Bedi 30 Jul 2026 06:00AM Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST.

Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST KUALA LUMPUR: Barely two months after its launch, Parti Wawasan Negara (Wawasan) will make its electoral debut in the Negeri Sembilan state election this Saturday (Aug 1), testing whether the party led by opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin can carve out a place in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.

Wawasan is contesting four seats under the PN banner. The new party’s secretary-general Saifuddin Abdullah told CNA in an interview that he is hopeful that given PN’s partnership with the Barisan Nasional (BN) pact, they can win enough seats to wrestle the state from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH). PN is the federal opposition bloc while BN and PH are part of Anwar’s unity government though the latter two are rivals in the Negeri Sembilan state polls as well as the recent Johor election.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Related: Malaysia Politics: Early voting concludes in Negeri Sembilan with 91% voter turnout Negeri Sembilan electoral battle begins after 103 candidates confirmed; BN, PN to campaign for each other Saifuddin added that Wawasan aims to appeal across racial lines and should not be viewed as a direct replacement for the Malay-centric Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu). Both Hamzah and Saifuddin were sacked by Bersatu earlier this year before they formed Wawasan.“We would like to fashion ourselves as a party that represents the 'Malaysian face'; not (just) a Malay-Bumiputera party but (one that) is open to all in accordance with the Malaysian demography,” Saifuddin, a former foreign minister, said in the interview on Jul 24.

“We want to serve all. Hence we need the support of all.”However, analysts told CNA that it would not be easy for the young party to do so given it