Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Bersatu appear to be keeping their electoral understanding in the Melaka state election out of the limelight, in what an analyst has described as a “strategic” move.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Mazlan Ali believes both parties want to avoid being openly associated with each other.
He attributed this to strong opposition from DAP, a PH component party, to the partnership. DAP leaders have made no secret of their objections to working with Bersatu.
“I believe PH and Bersatu share a tacit understanding (that they will work together), even if it is not formally announced. It appears to be a calculated move,” he told FMT.
Mazlan pointed to Bersatu’s improving relations with the administration led by PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim as evidence of the understanding.
On Oct 29, Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and five other MPs from the party signed a confidence and supply agreement (CSA) with the government.
Under the agreement, Bersatu agreed to support the recently tabled 2027 Budget and back Anwar’s administration until the end of the current parliamentary term.
“PH and Bersatu need each other to counter the dominant ‘Malay-Muslim’ narrative championed by Umno and PAS,” he added, referring to the alliance between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN).
PH-Bersatu understanding faces political sensitivities
In the Nov 14 Melaka state election, PH is contesting 24 seats while Bersatu is vying for seven, with the two parties clashing in three constituencies.
PH election director Amirudin Shari had previously confirmed that an agreement had been reached with Bersatu.
However, Bersatu said PH had not spelled out how its election machinery would support the party’s candidates in the Nov 14 polls.
PH has also refrained from instructing its members and supporters to vote for Bersatu in constituencies the coalition is not contesting.
Melaka PH chief Adly Zahari appeared to distance himself from the arrangement, saying Bersatu “has its own plans for the Melaka polls”, while he remained focused on PH.
Nevertheless, Adly had previously acknowledged that multi-cornered contests, including those involving Bersatu, could improve PH’s chances of winning.
Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid said Bersatu had already been widely expected to move closer to PH following its fallout with PAS in June.
“There are influential personalities within Bersatu who were from PKR, such as Azmin Ali. He would likely have retained a modicum of support in PH,” he said.
Sheraton Move remains a stumbling block
Fauzi believes the Sheraton Move remains a sore issue for PH and explains why the coalition has not instructed its election machinery to directly support Bersatu candidates.
“Giving direct instructions to PH voters to support Bersatu for this election would be too drastic a change, which will likely cause them to sit out the elections, thus giving away free seats to BN-PN.
“Bersatu will have understood that it’ll have to rely on its Malay nationalist instincts to outwit its BN-PN opponents. Leaving the field open for Bersatu to compete is good enough,” he said.
Fauzi added that this approach was likely to affect Bersatu’s chances in the four constituencies PH is not contesting, potentially benefiting BN and PN.
