Bersama has brought former Melaka DAP chairman Goh Leong San and veteran trade unionist N Gopal Kishnam into its camp as it contests 15 seats in the Melaka state election.
Party leader Rafizi Ramli announced the two at a press conference in Melaka. He said Goh would appear at a Bersama ceramah in Kesidang this Saturday, his first political appearance since 2018.
Goh served five terms as a Melaka assemblyman from 1995 to 2018, representing Tengkera, Bandar Hilir, Kesidang and Duyong, and chaired the state DAP from 2005 to 2015. He left DAP in 2017 with three other elected representatives, citing dissatisfaction with the party leadership, and contested Kota Melaka and Kesidang as an independent in the 2018 general election, losing his deposit in both.
Gopal Kishnam is secretary-general of the National Union of Transport Equipment and Allied Industries Workers and the founding secretary-general of the Malaysian Federation of Trade Unions. A former secretary-general of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress, he joined Bersama in October.
Bersama is going up against Pakatan Harapan in 14 of the 15 seats it is contesting, including five the coalition won in 2021: Ayer Keroh, Bukit Katil, Kesidang, Kota Laksamana and Bandar Hilir.
Polling for Melaka’s 28 state seats will be held on Nov 14.