PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional (PN) has set its sights on taking over the Negeri Sembilan government at the upcoming state election, with its information chief Annuar Musa saying the coalition’s campaign will be far more aggressive than the one it mounted in Johor.
Prior to last Saturday’s Johor election, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang acknowledged that PAS was not capable of forming the state government and was willing to support Umno – going on to urge its supporters to back Barisan Nasional candidates in seats not contested by PN.
In a Berita Harian report today, Annuar said the objective in Negeri Sembilan is no longer merely to contain political rivals but to wrest control of the state administration.
“In the Johor state election, our strategy was more about containing (our opponents), but in Negeri Sembilan, the aim is to take over the state administration,” he told reporters in Kota Bharu today.
He said all PN and BN component parties had reached a consensus on the approach to be adopted for the election, although the parties would hold further discussions on the matter.
“I can’t reveal all the details, but this time, the approach will be far more formidable and hard-hitting.”
The PAS central committee member said the party would meet tonight to discuss the number of seats it would contest and to finalise its candidates for the election.
Yesterday, Hadi said his party was negotiating seat allocations with BN ahead of the Negeri Sembilan state election.
He said PAS had agreed in principle to allow BN to defend the 14 seats it previously held, while PAS would contest the three seats it previously won. The remaining 17 seats would be decided through negotiations between the two parties, he added.
However, BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi later said there would be no seat-sharing arrangement with PAS, and any discussions between the two parties amounted to no more than an “understanding” and not a final agreement.
