A former Umno leader has called on all political parties and coalitions to contest the Melaka state election independently to gauge their actual strength ahead of the 16th general election (GE16).
Former Batu Pahat MP Puad Zarkashi said major political players appeared to be struggling to reach a compromise on electoral alliances for the Nov 14 polls.
Puad calls for parties to contest independently
“It would be better for all of them to go solo, whether Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan, PAS, Bersatu, Wawasan or Bersama, to gauge their respective strengths.
“Only then can they determine who really needs whom, and which entities are merely mosquito parties.
“That way, when GE16 comes along, the relevant parties will be more humble and realistic when choosing their electoral partners,” Puad said in a Facebook post.
Melaka election sees 28 seats contested
Melaka voters will head to the polls on Nov 14, with 28 state seats up for grabs.
In the 2021 state election, Barisan Nasional (BN) won 21 seats, while Pakatan Harapan (PH) secured five and Perikatan Nasional (PN) won two.
BN, PAS and PH alliance talks
BN had previously expressed its intention to cooperate with PN in Melaka following their alliance’s victory in the Aug 1 Negeri Sembilan polls.
However, the Umno-led coalition subsequently opened the door to negotiations with PH, while delaying confirmation of an alliance with PAS-led PN.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang nevertheless claimed that PAS and BN had agreed in principle to work together in Melaka.
Meanwhile, PH has been linked to speculation about a possible pact with Bersatu, which has fallen out of favour within PN but remains part of the opposition coalition.
