NewzPakatan Harapan's defeat was made worse by the losses of two of its most prominent leaders in the state - DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook and former menteri besar Aminuddin Harun.PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan's electoral woes deepened after it lost control of Negeri Sembilan, a state it had dominated since 2018.The coalition, which entered last night’s election with 17 seats, was reduced to 11 seats, while Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional, through its pact, secured a two-thirds majority to form the next state government.The defeat was made worse by the losses of two of PH’s most prominent leaders in Negeri Sembilan - state chairman and former menteri besar Aminuddin Harun, who was beaten in Linggi, and DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook, who lost Chennah in one of the election’s biggest upsets.Aminuddin, who had led the state government since 2018, was defeated by BN's Faizal Ramli by 2,976 votes after the PKR vice-president left his long-held Sikamat constituency to contest the Umno stronghold.Loke was one of the two DAP incumbents to lose as the party retained nine of the 11 seats it won in 2023. He lost Chennah to MCA's Siow Kong Choon by 688 votes.The result marks PH’s third poor electoral outing in recent months, following disappointing performances in the Sabah and Johor state elections, where the coalition also struggled to translate its support base into victories.As in Johor, the setback was felt across all three PH component parties, though the impact varied.DAP remained PH’s strongest performer, but Loke’s defeat raises questions over the party’s ability to protect even its most prominent leaders amid a broader decline in PH’s support.PKR, which contested the largest number of seats for PH at 18, faced the biggest setback, losing 16 seats and failing to make significant gains despite fielding candidates in half of the state’s constituencies. It previously held five.Amanah was wiped out despite expanding its contest to seven seats.
The party failed to retain Klawang, its sole seat before the election, as the PAS splinter again struggled to establish itself as an electoral force.Last night’s defeat is likely to intensify scrutiny of PH’s electoral strategy, particularly as it prepares for state polls in Melaka and Sarawak, as well as the next general election (GE16)PH's struggle to withstand a coordinated challenge from BN and PN onc… Aminuddin Harun’s defeat is seen as a major political setback for PKR but it may not signal the end of his political career.PETALING JAYA: Aminuddin Harun’s defeat in the Negeri Sembilan state election is expected to damage Pakatan Harapan on the national stage as it has been considered one of its stronger states, and Aminuddin among PKR’s most prominent state-level leaders.Political scientist Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said Aminuddin’s defeat in Linggi would reinforce perceptions that PKR was struggling to gain support in Malay-majority, rural and semi-urban constituencies, especially after the weak performance of PH in the Johor state election.He said that it would also strengthen Umno’s bargaining position in the PH-led federal unity coalition government.“Umno can argue it is better positioned than PKR to consolidate Malay support and provide state-level political stability. This could affect negotiations over seats, leadership positions and coalition strategy approaching the next general election,” he said.Awang Azman Pawi.On Saturday, Barisan Nasional and its electoral ally, the PAS-led Perikatan Nasional, claimed victory in the Negeri Sembilan state election, securing a two-thirds majority to end PH’s hold on the Negeri Sembilan government after two terms.PH suffered a major upset with the loss of two bigwigs – DAP secretary-general and state party chief Loke Siew Fook and state PH leader Aminuddin, who had served as menteri besar since 2018.
They were defeated in Chennah and Linggi respectively.Aminuddin lost to BN’s Faizal Ramli, after leaving Sikamat, which he had represented for four consecutive terms, to contest in the Umno stronghold of Linggi.James Chin.Political scientist James Chin of University of Tasmania said Umno’s victory in Negeri Sembilan would also give it leverage to call for the Melaka state election to be held, in turn pressuring Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to call for an early general election.“If Anwar is willing to call for an early general election, Umno will hold off on calls for the Melaka state election,” he said.The Melaka state assembly's term ends in December, unless dissolved earlier, and elections must be held by mid-February at the latest.Moving forward from defeatAwang Azman said Aminuddin’s defeat did not necessarily signal the end of his political career.Aminuddin’s decision to leave the relatively safer…
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