Bersatu will not instruct its members and supporters to vote for other parties in constituencies where Perikatan Nasional (PN) is not contesting in the Johor state election, party president Muhyiddin Yassin said.
Instead, Muhyiddin said Bersatu supporters would be free to decide which party to back, including parties outside PN that they believe share the coalition’s aspirations.
He said some Bersatu members and supporters were unwilling to vote for certain parties because they did not support them.
‘That is why I will not tell them to vote for UmDAP, for obvious reasons,’ he said, using the term commonly associated with Umno’s cooperation with DAP in the federal unity government.
Muhyiddin was speaking to reporters while campaigning for PN’s Bukit Kepong candidate, Sahruddin Jamal.
Avoiding voter confusion
Muhyiddin said Bersatu adopted the approach to avoid confusing voters and party supporters.
He said PN’s priority was to secure as many votes as possible, adding that the coalition would not complicate matters by telling supporters who they should vote for in constituencies where PN is absent.
PAS takes a different position
His remarks came a day after PAS urged all its members and supporters to vote for Umno or Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates in state constituencies where PN is not fielding candidates.
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said party members understood the importance of ummah unity and viewed PN as the platform to achieve that objective.
A total of 56 seats are being contested in the Johor state election, with 29 seats required to secure a simple majority.
Contest distribution
Under the PN banner, PAS is contesting 11 seats, Bersatu 16, the Malaysian Indian People’s Party five, and Pejuang one. Parti Wawasan Negara and Gerakan are not contesting the state election.
Both BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) are contesting all 56 seats. Johor BN has reaffirmed that it will contest independently, without any electoral pact or plans to form a state government with any other party.
