KUALA LUMPUR: Former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyddin Yassin needed to "get real" with his coalition's aim of garnering non-Malay support.
In an X post yesterday, Zaid said Malay political parties often set themselves impossible tasks then questioned why they had failed.
"It's time to get real. He (Muhyiddin) asked the question, how do we get more support from non-Malays?
"It's pretty simple: follow the example of (Prime Minister) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Could you not say 'I am a Malay first'? Tell Malaysians you are the 'Daddy' for all races," he wrote.
Zaid also told Muhyiddin to tell their partner, Gerakan, to sound more like DAP and speak of reforms, the rule of law, and meritocracy.
He added that Gerakan should "say all these things until you achieve power."
"It's OK if you do not do these things after your election. Tell them reforms will come during your second term. Malaysians forget easily.
"Tell Pas leaders who your comrades are: the non-Muslims.
"Pas, therefore, need to be sensitive to worldly matters, as the non-Malays are concerned with economy, education and business," said Zaid.
He also said Pas will never be able to develop a strong economy for the Malays if it only continued with "its mission to ensure Muslims went to heaven", nor will it help Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) become the federal government.
Pas leaders, he added, should also work together with the prime minister to develop the Malay states while Bersatu leaders should close ranks with Umno and try to regroup.
"Muhyiddin should forget about being the prime minister again.
"After all, there is no reason for Bersatu to continue fighting Umno. You were all made from the same stuff, and your differences are purely tactical.
"Find ways to share power, as you have always done."
At the PN members of parliaments and assemblymen convention yesterday, Muhyiddin said PN must find ways to win the support of non-Malay voters.
He said the party needed to take a new approach to win over non-Malay voters, which might increase votes by 5 to 10 per cent.