Tun Musa 'advises' Opposition on how to win elections

The former deputy minister said time is of the essence because he believed the Barisan Nasional (BN) would be calling for a general election "very soon".

"Don't ask me what I mean by very soon, you will have to interpret. But if it’s true, then this will be one of the biggest challenges to those who want to oppose the government, to get together to become a cohesive force," he said.

He said based on past experiences, the opposition's attempt to become a cohesive force has proven to be the challenge itself.

"Ultimately, in a democratic parliamentary system, what it all means is they all want to be in power, or have a very major position in power. In order to do that, they must win elections.

"To win elections, they must first be able to allocate seats. That is the punchline. They must be unanimous in the allocation of seats. Most of the time in the past, it never works. The seats are always subject to arguments and each one would try to claim they are the most qualified.

"In the end, they will say 'let's agree to disagree' which is disastrous," he told reporters after the launch of his book 'Frankly Speaking' today.

This was why the opposition would normally end up in multiple-cornered fights, he added.

Musa said the key to reaching a consensus on seat allocation was that the decision needed to be made early.

"They must name the seats in advance… which seat goes to which party. They must decide early. Because if they don’t, they won’t be able to do it (win) when the day comes."

Musa, a former UMNO deputy president under Tun Dr Mahathir's reign, said his advice to the opposition did not mean that he was against BN.

"I’m old and I'm not really interested in parties and politics. All I want to see is stability in our system. And I like a two-party system. If there’s a party strong enough that calls themselves opposition, I think it’s good for the country."

Earlier, the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Dr Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah officiated the book launch at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club here. Also present was the Perak Raja Permaisuri, Tuanku Zara Salim.