Melaka Barisan Nasional’s (BN) position that political negotiations do not always end in an agreement signals the coalition is prepared to contest the upcoming Melaka state election on its own, according to an analyst.
Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said the statement by Melaka BN chairman Ab Rauf Yusoh also indicated that the coalition was not under pressure despite speculation over possible cooperation with Perikatan Nasional (PN).
The speculation followed remarks by BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi after Saturday’s Negeri Sembilan state election, where BN and PN contested under an electoral pact.
The alliance secured 25 of the 36 seats in the Negeri Sembilan state assembly, giving it a two-thirds majority to form the state government for the next five years.
Umno confident of retaining Melaka
Mazlan said Rauf’s remarks reflected Umno’s confidence that it remained strong enough to retain Melaka without relying on support from other political parties.
He said that while cooperation with PN remained possible, as seen in Negeri Sembilan and Johor, it did not guarantee that negotiations would result in an agreement.
According to Mazlan, Rauf’s position suggested BN was fully prepared to contest the election independently if discussions failed to produce a mutually acceptable arrangement.
On Sunday, Rauf, who is also the Melaka chief minister and state Umno chief, said BN remained open to cooperating with any party under the BN Plus formula.
However, he stressed that although negotiations were open, any agreement would depend on the strengths of the parties involved.
The Melaka state election must be held by the end of this year.
Message aimed at PN, says analyst
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Rauf’s remarks appeared to be directed more at PN than Pakatan Harapan (PH).
He said Umno, as the party leading the Melaka government, was in a stronger position to determine the terms of any negotiations, including seat allocations.
According to Azmi, the message to PN was that it should not expect to contest seats currently held by Umno in Melaka, unlike the arrangement adopted in Negeri Sembilan.
He added that if negotiations with PN failed, BN would still have the option of holding discussions with PH.
The Melaka state assembly currently comprises 20 BN assemblymen, including 17 from Umno. The opposition consists of five PH assemblymen and three representing PN.
