PN to contest all 28 seats in Melaka
(FMT) – The stage has been set for a head-on clash between Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN) in the Melaka state election.
PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin announced today that the coalition will contest all 28 seats in the coming state election, according to a Bernama report.
This will likely see PN clashing with BN in all the state seats up for grabs in the Nov 20 election. In most seats, it will be at least three-cornered fights with Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the fray, along with others as well.
At a press conference in Melaka, Muhyiddin said Umno had confirmed that it does not want to cooperate with Bersatu.
“This is the fact. We are ready to face straight fights or three- or even four-cornered fights. That is not a problem,” he said.
The Pagoh MP added that he had urged political parties in the Perikatan Nasional coalition to decide on seat allocation immediately and to divide the 28 state seats “according to the situation to win the state polls.”
PN, he said, had enough qualified candidates to be good leaders to manage the state.
Asked about holding the polls during the Covid-19 pandemic, the National Recovery Council chairman said the polls are held according to the constitution and the Election Commission should announce the appropriate SOPs to contain the virus.
“They would know what to do to control (the spread),” he said, adding that there should be less movement of people during the campaigning period and social media should be used to interact with voters.
Bersatu Supreme Council member Razali Idris had announced earlier today that the party was not afraid of facing three-cornered fights in Melaka.
“It is not a problem. There is no need to worry or fear (it). If that is their (Umno) final decision, we accept it and we face it,” he told FMT in response to Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who had reiterated that they will not work with Bersatu.
Razali said PN, which Bersatu leads with PAS, STAR, SAPP and Gerakan, has always been open to working with Umno to avoid splitting the Malay community.
“What will happen now? We will see a split among the Malay parties,” he said, adding that PN had a 50-50 chance of winning three-cornered fights with BN and PH.
However, he conceded that if PN and BN worked together, they could easily win a two-thirds majority in Melaka.
Nomination day is on Nov 8 and the polls will be held on Nov 20.
