PAS’s denial that seat negotiations with Barisan Nasional for the Melaka state election have been finalised has raised doubts among analysts about the prospects of cooperation between the two parties in the 16th general election (GE16).
Syaza Shukri of International Islamic University Malaysia said the Melaka polls were supposed to serve as a litmus test for cooperation between BN and the Islamic party.
“All is definitely not well. The fact that PAS has publicly said the seat distribution has not been finalised speaks volumes.
“Melaka is supposed to be the ‘experiment’ to gauge if they can work together or not. So this is not a good sign,” she told FMT.
On Wednesday, BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the coalition would contest 21 of Melaka’s 28 state seats, while PAS and its allies would vie for the remaining seven.
However, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the seat allocation had yet to be finalised, although he maintained that cooperation between the parties was certain.
Seat dispute tests BN-PAS ties
Syaza said PAS’s decision to publicly challenge the arrangement was significant, particularly as Zahid was unlikely to backtrack.
“BN will not back down, PAS doesn’t seem happy with only seven,” she said.
She said BN and PAS could end up contesting against each other in some constituencies while maintaining cordial relations and directing their attacks at Pakatan Harapan, similar to their approach in Johor.
Azmi Hassan of Nusantara Academy also said the Melaka election would be a crucial test of BN-PAS cooperation ahead of GE16, unlike in Johor and Negeri Sembilan, where he believed cooperation would be easier.
He said the issue in Melaka was not just the number of seats allocated to PAS and Wawasan, but also their chances of winning them.
Based on Zahid’s remarks, PAS and Wawasan would contest four DAP strongholds: Kota Laksamana, Kesidang, Bandar Hilir and Ayer Keroh.
“Wresting those seats from DAP would be a formidable challenge,” Azmi said.
Winning prospects add to negotiations
Of the remaining three seats, Bukit Katil was represented by former chief minister Adly Zahari for two terms, while Sungai Udang and Bemban were won by Bersatu in the last state election.
Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said the current impasse in seat negotiations for the Melaka polls suggested that forming an alliance between Umno and PAS for GE16 would be challenging.
He said if PAS and Umno could not reach a compromise in Melaka, it would also be difficult for the two parties to agree on seat allocations in states led by PAS.
Nevertheless, Mazlan believed BN would want to cooperate with PAS in Melaka, even though the coalition could win the state election on its own.
“BN wants to minimise the impact of split votes in Malay-majority areas,” he said.
