"Barisan should be a single party," says Gerakan acting president Datuk Chang Ko Youn.
: KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional should merge into a single multi-racial party or risk fading away in the next five years, said Gerakan acting president Datuk Chang Ko Youn.
Chang said Barisan had to change its approach given the advent of more younger voters and urbanised areas over the next five years.
"In the elections, we saw that the trend of urban voters went across racial lines such as the Chinese voters who voted for PAS candidates and vice versa.
"Currently there are 40% rural voters and 60% urban but this will change in the next five years.
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"The mindset is also changing. And we can no longer rely on race-based parties. It is getting out of fashion.
"We must seriously look at the issue of younger voters across racial lines. They are looking at transparency, governance, human rights and other issues," he said yesterday at his first press conference as acting president.
Barisan, he added, must adept itself as old methods could not be used anymore.
"If we use the same methods, I am afraid that we will have a worse off result in the coming elections.
"We will face a tough challenge especially from the two more new million voters "We must look at the long-term benefit and Barisan's survival.
"That is why I am appealing to component parties to open their doors to those outside racial lines," he said, adding that Gerakan had always advocated non-racial lines.
