Bersatu will contest the 16th Negeri Sembilan state election under its own party logo instead of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner, marking a significant shift following growing tensions within the coalition.
Party president Muhyiddin Yassin said the Bersatu Supreme Council had authorised him to allow candidates from other parties to contest using the Bersatu logo in the Aug 1 state election.
He said Bersatu has yet to finalise the number of candidates it will field, with the party expected to announce its line-up on Friday.
Despite the move, Muhyiddin stressed that Bersatu has not decided whether it will leave PN.
‘We will look into this after the Negeri Sembilan state election,’ he said after a Bersatu Supreme Council meeting.
Decision follows Johor setback
The decision comes after PN suffered a crushing defeat in the Johor state election, where ongoing tensions between Bersatu and PAS became increasingly evident.
Although PAS and Bersatu remained PN component parties and contested under the coalition’s banner in Johor, PAS had earlier ended its political cooperation with Bersatu and did not assist in the party’s election campaign.
Muhyiddin acknowledged that contesting under the Bersatu logo instead of the PN symbol could confuse voters but described the move as a calculated risk.
‘If we are not brave enough to take the plunge, we will not get anywhere. If we remain as we are, we already know the situation and the circumstances that will arise, and defeat is most likely. We have already seen what happened in Johor,’ he said.
He added that Bersatu had carefully considered public feedback and members’ views before adopting the new approach, despite recognising the greater responsibility it would bring.
Bersatu criticises PAS over BN discussions
Muhyiddin also criticised PAS for holding discussions with Barisan Nasional (BN) on possible electoral cooperation for the Negeri Sembilan election without consulting Bersatu or obtaining approval from the PN Supreme Council.
He said Bersatu was disappointed by what it described as unilateral decisions that were contrary to PN’s interests as a national coalition.
According to Muhyiddin, PAS leaders’ calls to support BN candidates during the Johor election, and now in Negeri Sembilan, had never been endorsed by the PN Supreme Council.
He also revealed that a PN meeting scheduled for Sunday to discuss preparations for the Negeri Sembilan election had been postponed following PAS’s decision to cooperate with BN.
Muhyiddin said matters affecting the coalition’s direction should have been discussed collectively by the PN Supreme Council.
He further claimed that the PAS-led PN had drifted from its original objectives, including defending Malaysia as a plural society comprising different races, religions, social classes and regions.
Muhyiddin said recent statements by PAS leaders had raised concerns among the public, particularly younger Malaysians, over the coalition’s commitment to preserving national stability, peace and harmony in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society.
He said Bersatu would continue to uphold a moderate and progressive approach, in line with the Federal Constitution and the Rukun Negara.
