PETALING JAYA: The distribution of seats and choice of the prime ministerial candidate are among the key issues that need to be resolved early if Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN) want to forge a stronger alliance ahead of the 16th general election, an analyst said.
Tawfik Yaakub of Universiti Malaya said it was important for both coalitions to resolve these issues early as a general election was far more complex, involving 222 parliamentary seats as well as the interests of parties at both the national and state levels.
“If this cooperation is to be taken to the next level in GE16, BN and PN need to decide early on who their prime ministerial candidate will be, how the seats will be divided and what common policies they intend to offer,” he told FMT.
He was commenting on Wawasan president Hamzah Zainudin’s statement that a BN-PN alliance would be stronger and more stable if both coalitions establish a common plan and agenda from the outset.
The PN deputy chairman said the previous governments involving BN and PN had been formed without advance planning, making it difficult for the parties to build mutual trust.
Hamzah said the advance planning must also include a seat allocation formula acceptable to both sides and should not be confined to the Melaka state election.
BN and PN previously joined forces to form the federal government from March 2020 to November 2022 under the administrations of Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Their cooperation resurfaced in the Negeri Sembilan state election earlier this month, when they won 25 of the 36 state seats and subsequently formed the state government.
Meanwhile, Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said seat negotiations and a political understanding needed to be finalised before GE16 to prevent conflicts from being addressed only after the election results are known.
He warned that forming a government on an ad hoc basis after an election could result in cooperation taking place under “forced” circumstances and create dissatisfaction among the parties involved.
