Umno vice-president Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said political alliances should take into account the dynamic and ever-changing political landscapes in the respective states. (Facebook pic)PETALING JAYA: Barisan Nasional's electoral pact with PAS-led Perikatan Nasional is only for the Negeri Sembilan state election, says Umno vice-president Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.Wan Rosdy maintained that there is currently no BN-PN alliance in other states, and that the coalition's top leadership has the final say on pacts, Kosmo reported."As of today, that cooperation only applies in Negeri Sembilan. For other states, we will discuss the matter first."The decision will not be made by any particular individual but through consensus by the BN Supreme Council," said Wan Rosdy, who is a member of the BN top leadership.The Pahang menteri besar, who leads a BN-Pakatan Harapan state government, said political alliances should take into account the dynamic and ever-changing political landscapes in the respective states.In the context of Negeri Sembilan, it was necessary for BN to work with PN, he said, adding that "each state has their own situation and challenges".Under their pact for the Negeri Sembilan election on Aug 1, BN is contesting 25 seats while PN is vying for the remaining 11 up for grabs.
PH is contesting all 36 seats on its own.PH and BN remain allies in the federal government as well as the state governments in BN-led Perak and Pahang as well as PH-led Penang and Selangor. Negeri Sembilan Umno chief Jalaluddin Alias said BN has no plans to work with PH again to form the Negeri Sembilan government after the state election.JELEBU: Negeri Sembilan Umno chief Jalaluddin Alias has defended Barisan Nasional's cooperation with Perikatan Nasional (PN), particularly PAS, dismissing concerns that the partnership will undermine the position of non-Malays.Jalaluddin said that in PAS-led states such as Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, non-Malay communities had not been sidelined."This is just an old narrative being used to create fear among non-Malay communities."The BN-PN cooperation is not based on issues that can divide the people," he said in an interview with FMT.Jalaluddin, who is defending the Pertang seat, said non-Malays need not worry if BN-PN succeeds in forming the next Negeri Sembilan government, as BN would remain the dominant party bloc.He said BN was contesting 25 state seats compared with PN’s 11, and would lead the state government in the event of victory."If BN-PN succeeds in forming the Negeri Sembilan government, it will be led by BN," he said."BN will remain the dominant party in the government, and the combination of BN and PN will be able to provide welfare and attention for all communities."Jalaluddin also said the BN-PN cooperation in Negeri Sembilan was based on political understanding and sincerity between both sides."This understanding is not only for Negeri Sembilan. It can be expanded to a higher level if it receives support and acceptance from the people," he said.'No plans to work with PH again in NS'Meanwhile, Jalaluddin said BN had no plans to work with Pakatan Harapan (PH) again to form the Negeri Sembilan government after the state election."We are confident in BN and PN’s ability to form the government.
We have no plans to return to working with PH to form the state government," he said.Responding to Negeri Sembilan PH chairman Aminuddin Harun’s claim that Umno had forgotten PH’s role after withdrawing support for him, Jalaluddin said BN was the biggest contributor to the formation of the state government after the 2023 election.He said BN won 14 seats in 2023, compared with DAP’s 11 and PKR’s five, while PN also secured five seats."Who gave the biggest contribution to PH in forming the government in 2023, if not Umno and BN?"BN helped PH form the state government. That is a fact that cannot be denied,… PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said the cooperation between BN and PN is 'not just for show'.PETALING JAYA: PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang today expressed hope that his party's cooperation with Umno through the Barisan Nasional (BN)-Perikatan Nasional (PN) electoral pact in Negeri Sembilan would endure despite their chequered history.Hadi acknowledged that PAS and Umno had experienced ups and downs in their relationship, but said such setbacks were normal."We hope it will last a long time.
This time, it is to save the country," he told a press conference after delivering the Friday prayers sermon at Masjid Kampung Rusila in Marang.Hadi also dismissed claims that the cooperation between BN and PN was just political theatrics."It's not just for show," he said, adding that PAS was capable of standing on its own while noting that Umno members had also worked with the party.BN and PN have an informal electoral agreement under which BN is contesting 25 seats and the PAS-led PN 11, with no overlap.PN and BN have also instructed their supporters to vote for each other’s candidates at the Aug 1 election.Hadi said PAS was urging voters to support Malay-Muslim candidates to ensure that Malay-Muslims continued to govern Negeri Sembilan.However, he said the party would also support non-Muslim candidates from MCA and MIC whom he described as "not extreme". Ex-Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin does not think Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will rush into pushing for a general election this year, even if BN-PN win Negeri Sembilan.PETALING JAYA: Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi may choose to maintain support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim even if BN and Perikatan Nasional (PN) perform strongly in the Negeri Sembilan election, says former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.Khairy said a strong showing by the BN-PN alliance could see Umno and PN pressuring Zahid to pull BN's support from the unity government and lobbying Sabah and Sarawak parties to follow suit.However, he said the Umno president was unlikely to rush into such a move as Zahid currently had Anwar "exactly where you want him" and could use the leverage to present BN as practical and professional."You can tell people: 'We will not withdraw support. We respect that the country is still facing crises, including the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Middle East, as well as what is happening between (US president Donald) Trump and Iran'," he said on the latest episode of the Keluar Sekejap podcast."You can say: 'We may fight at the state level, but I remain the deputy prime minister to PMX, and we will continue playing our role as a responsible party supporting the Madani government'."Earlier in the episode, podcast co-host Shahril Hamdan said BN-PN were likely favourites to win the Aug 1 election in Negeri Sembilan due to their combined strength.He questioned whether the cooperation could become a trigger for an earlier general election, and why Anwar appeared relaxed despite BN leaders openly attacking Pakatan Harapan (PH).Khairy said the current political outlook was unfavourable to PH, especially with Sarawak and Melaka expected to hold elections next."This government cannot last, especially with the expectation that (elections in Sarawak and Melaka) are coming next, and it does not look good for PH," he said."For PH in Sarawak, we expect Gabungan Parti Sarawak to trash them, and in Melaka, it won't look good for PH if it is (again) a BN-PH cooperation."Bersatu could rejoin PHMeanwhile, Khairy speculated that Bersatu could eventually work with PH again if the Muhyiddin Yassin-led party does not win any seats in the Negeri Sembilan election.He said Anwar could consider working with Azmin Ali, his former PKR deputy president who is now B…
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