MELAKA: Some 400 senior government officials have registered as members of Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama), claims Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli.
Rafizi, who took over the party together with Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad about three weeks ago, said senior civil servants from Putrajaya were unexpectedly among those topping Bersama’s membership list.
"At first, we were unsure whether top civil servants could join political parties as members.
"However, after checking thoroughly, we found that they can become members, but are not allowed to hold positions in political parties," he said during the Jelajah Kancil ceramah at a hotel in Ayer Keroh on Sunday (June 7).
Rafizi said Bersama has so far registered more than 24,000 members nationwide, with about RM500,000 collected through membership fees and another RM250,000 raised through crowdfunding.
Meanwhile, Rafizi said Bersama is expected to begin announcing its candidates and the seats it intends to contest in the Melaka state election as early as August.
He said the party is currently preparing for the Melaka polls, which are expected to be held after the Johor and Negri Sembilan elections.
Rafizi said that although attention was now focused on Johor and Negri Sembilan following the dissolution of both state legislative assemblies, Bersama was also identifying seats to contest in Melaka.
Rafizi described the response towards Bersama in Melaka as encouraging despite the state’s smaller population.
He said Selangor currently recorded the highest number of registrations, followed by the Federal Territories, Johor and Sabah, while Melaka ranked seventh in terms of party membership.
However, Rafizi said membership numbers alone were not the only measure of a party’s strength, as commitment and enthusiasm among supporters were equally important ahead of an election.
He added that Bersama’s membership trend in Melaka also showed stronger participation among young people.
"We hope to create a platform for young people to build new opportunities for themselves, rather than merely being caught up in political rhetoric," he added.
