Will Wong Chen follow Rafizi to Bersama? Analysts weigh impact on Subang voters

SHAH ALAM – Speculation has intensified that former Subang Member of Parliament (MP) Wong Chen could follow former PKR leaders Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad into Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama), following his resignation on Aug 10 and recent presence at the party’s official launch.

Political observers suggest his departure from PKR, spurred by the loss of access to his constituency development fund portal, signals a broader realignment among backbenchers.

While Wong could retain a sizeable portion of Subang voters if he contests under Bersama, analysts believe his candidacy may be more significant for its potential to split Pakatan Harapan (PH) support than to dislodge the coalition.

International Islamic University Malaysia Political Science Department lecturer Associate Professor Dr Syaza Shukri said Wong’s established support in Subang could give him an advantage if he eventually joins Bersama and contests the seat again.

However, she said the scale of PH’s support in the 2022 general election (GE) would make it difficult for Wong or Bersama to defeat the coalition without significant resources and a major shift in voter sentiment.

“If Wong were to contest Subang under Bersama, he could potentially retain a significant share of the voters, but I do not think it would be enough to challenge PH, which secured more than 100,000 votes in the previous election.

“For Wong or Bersama to win, they would need substantial resources to persuade tens of thousands of voters to switch their support.

“Even a 50-50 split between PH and Bersama would likely still leave PH with more votes than BN and PN combined, making it unlikely that the opposition would benefit significantly from such a contest,” she said when contacted by Sinar Daily.

Political analyst Dr Oh Ei Sun, however, said Wong contesting under Bersama could have a more consequential impact on PH by dividing its existing support base.

“If Wong were to join Bersama and contest in Subang, the main impact would likely be vote-splitting.

“This could potentially weaken PH’s position and allow Barisan Nasional (BN) or Perikatan Nasional (PN) to win a seat that PH might otherwise have been likely to retain,” he told Sinar Daily.

Political analyst Dr G Manimaran said speculation over Wong joining Bersama was not a new development, with rumours surrounding such a move having circulated for months.

“Speculation that Wong could join Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli’s Bersama is also not new and has been circulating for several months.

“There have been rumours that a group of long-time PKR supporters could take a similar step and join Bersama, although these remain speculation,” he told Sinar Daily.

Wong resigned as Subang MP on Aug 10 after losing access to MyKHAS, a government portal used by MPs to manage constituency allocations and public project applications.

He had submitted his resignation letter to Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul on Aug 5, with the resignation taking effect five days later.

The resignation came after Wong had raised concerns in May over the loss of access to the system by his office and several other PKR lawmakers.

Government spokesman Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil subsequently said constituency allocations belonged to the public rather than individual MPs.

Wong, who had represented Subang for three terms, secured a historic 115,074-vote majority in the 2022 GE. His departure made him the third PKR parliamentarian to vacate a parliamentary seat in less than four months.

Former ministers Rafizi and Nik Nazmi had previously resigned as the MPs for Pandan and Setiawangsa respectively before taking over Bersama in May.