PETALING JAYA: The statement by Melaka Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Ab Rauf Yusoh that political negotiations do not necessarily end in agreement signals that the coalition is prepared to contest the Melaka state election on its own, says an analyst.
Mazlan Ali said the stance also suggested that BN was not under pressure despite speculation of cooperation with Perikatan Nasional (PN), as voiced by BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi following the Negeri Sembilan election results on Saturday.
The BN-PN alliance won 25 of the 36 state seats in Negeri Sembilan, securing a two-thirds majority to govern the state for the next five years.
Mazlan, of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, said Rauf’s remarks reflected Umno’s confidence that it still had sufficient strength to retain Melaka without relying on other parties.
“If they can work with PN in Negeri Sembilan and Johor, the same possibility is open in Melaka.
“However, that does not necessarily mean the negotiations will end in an agreement… this means BN can also contest on its own,” he told FMT.
Mazlan was commenting on Rauf’s statement on Sunday that BN was open to working with any party in the Melaka election under the BN Plus formula.
Rauf, the Melaka chief minister and state Umno chief, said the door to negotiations was wide open, but discussions would not necessarily lead to an agreement as they would depend on the strengths of each party.
The Melaka state election must be held by the end of this year.
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Rauf’s remarks were likely directed more at PN than Pakatan Harapan (PH).
He said that as the party leading the Melaka government, Umno was in a stronger position to set the terms of negotiations, including on seat allocations.
“This is a message to PN that it cannot demand seats currently held by Umno in Melaka, unlike the formula used in Negeri Sembilan.
“If PN does not agree, BN still has the option of negotiating with PH,” he said.
The Melaka state assembly comprises 20 BN assemblymen, 17 of whom are from Umno. The opposition has five assemblymen from PH and three from PN.
