PAS remains confident that seat negotiations with Barisan Nasional (BN) for the next Melaka state election can be resolved amicably, despite BN’s intention to defend all 21 constituencies it won in the 2021 state polls.
The party’s deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said Perikatan Nasional (PN) had yet to begin formal seat discussions with BN, but he was optimistic that any differences could be settled through mutual understanding.
“What is important is that the cooperation between BN and PN continues,” he told FMT, referring to the understanding reached between the two coalitions during the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections.
“We should not let one or two seats get in the way of this alliance,” he said.
Cooperation remains the priority
During last month’s Johor state election, PN instructed its supporters to back BN candidates in constituencies where the coalition was not contesting.
For the Negeri Sembilan election on Aug 1, BN and PN also reached an agreement to avoid contesting against each other.
Tuan Ibrahim’s remarks came after political analyst Syaza Shukri of the International Islamic University Malaysia suggested that PN was likely to seek at least half of the 28 state seats in the upcoming Melaka election.
She said PN’s position would be based largely on its victory in three Melaka parliamentary constituencies during the 2022 general election.
Melaka expected to see different seat formula
Despite securing only two state seats in the 2021 Melaka election, PN went on to win three parliamentary constituencies in the state during the 2022 general election, while BN failed to capture any parliamentary seat despite its dominant performance at the state level a year earlier.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang recently said the BN-PN cooperation model for the Melaka election could differ from the arrangement used in Negeri Sembilan, although he stressed that any decision would depend on local political circumstances.
Meanwhile, Melaka BN chairman Ab Rauf Yusoh said BN was open to exploring cooperation with any political party under a BN-Plus formula.
However, he cautioned that discussions would not automatically lead to an agreement, as any arrangement would depend on the strengths of the parties involved.
