The political partnership between Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should not be regarded as a permanent arrangement, according to Umno Supreme Council member Ahmad Maslan.
When asked whether Anwar and Zahid remained politically aligned following Barisan Nasional’s (BN) strong performances in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections, Ahmad replied, “Not necessarily.”
The Pontian MP made the remark during a light-hearted exchange when questioned about whether the cooperation between the two leaders could be taken for granted.
Melaka election may shape political cooperation
When asked if Anwar and Zahid were “definitely together”, Ahmad again responded, “Not necessarily. We look at what is going to happen in Melaka.”
His comments came after BN secured convincing victories in Johor and Negeri Sembilan despite contesting separately from Pakatan Harapan (PH), its partner in the Federal Government.
In Johor, BN contested independently and won 48 of the state’s 56 seats. In Negeri Sembilan, BN worked with Perikatan Nasional (PN) under an electoral understanding that resulted in the two coalitions securing a combined 25 seats, giving them a two-thirds majority in the 36-member state assembly.
Ahmad suggested BN could continue its winning momentum without PH.
“I think we are going to win again in Melaka without PH, so it will be three in a row. PH won’t be with us,” he said.
He was referring to BN’s recent electoral successes, including its performances in Sabah and Sarawak, where the coalition competed without PH.
GE16 cooperation not entirely ruled out
Despite his remarks, Ahmad did not completely dismiss the possibility of cooperation between BN and PH in the 16th General Election.
He said such cooperation could be possible if DAP was no longer part of the coalition, although he acknowledged that such a scenario was unlikely.
“If PH did not have DAP, we may be working together, but that is unlikely,” he said.
