Barisan Nasional (BN) has deferred talks on a possible alliance for the Melaka state election, with state BN chief Ab Rauf Yusoh saying discussions are now more likely to take place next week.
The Melaka chief minister said BN remained open to discussions with all interested parties, but the talks had been delayed because a suitable date for the meeting had not been agreed.
BN had been expected to begin negotiations this week, but Rauf said the coalition would likely meet prospective partners next week, Utusan Malaysia reported.
BN remains open to potential partners
‘Since the Umno president (Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) has given me the authority to negotiate with any party to determine our strategic partner for the Melaka polls, we are working on setting a suitable date for discussions,’ he said.
Rauf said he had no preference for which party BN should work with.
However, he said any potential alliance would need to bring more benefits than losses for BN.
Alliance decision remains open
BN has yet to commit to a political pact for the Melaka polls.
This follows BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s earlier statement that the coalition would join forces with Perikatan Nasional after their cooperation helped secure a two-thirds majority in the Negeri Sembilan election.
