Barisan Nasional’s (BN) decision to cooperate with Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the Negeri Sembilan state election is intended to send a political message to Pakatan Harapan (PH), according to former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.
Speaking to reporters after attending a Subang Umno meeting, Khairy said some Umno members believe the federal government has not paid sufficient attention to Malay concerns and has yet to deliver on a number of its promises.
He also claimed that PH frequently used Umno’s role in the unity government as a reason for failing to implement its reform agenda.
‘It is as if they are blaming Umno for their own failure to push through reforms and fulfil their promises,’ he said, according to Sinar Harian.
No need to leave unity government
Despite the growing strains between the two coalitions, Khairy said BN does not need to withdraw from the unity government or push for an early general election.
‘We can wait until the general election. We are only taking this opportunity to send a signal to PH not to take Umno and BN for granted,’ he said.
Ties between PH and BN continue to cool
Relations between PH and BN became strained after BN chose to contest the July 11 Johor state election independently.
PH had wanted both coalitions to contest the election together, similar to their cooperation in the six state elections held in 2023.
The relationship appeared to deteriorate further after BN agreed to an electoral understanding with PN for the Negeri Sembilan state election on Aug 1.
Under the arrangement, PH is contesting all 36 seats on its own, while BN will contest 25 seats and PN the remaining 11.
During the recently concluded Johor election, PAS urged its members and supporters to vote for BN candidates in constituencies where PN did not field candidates.
