Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has expressed doubts over whether the cooperation between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) can continue for the long term.
Muhyiddin said the political understanding between the two coalitions, led by Umno and PAS respectively, may face challenges, particularly in northern states where both parties have traditionally competed for influence.
He claimed that PAS’ current close relationship with Umno was mainly aimed at avoiding clashes in overlapping seats and highlighting the need for cooperation between Malay-Muslim parties during elections.
“PAS wants Umno to understand and avoid contests against PAS in states led by the party in the north. But I believe Umno will still clash with PAS,” he was quoted as saying.
Muhyiddin said the friendly atmosphere between BN and PN in Negeri Sembilan could be temporary and warned voters not to view the cooperation as a permanent political arrangement.
The former prime minister described the alliance as a strategy focused on the upcoming state election, rather than a sign of lasting unity between the two coalitions.
Under their election arrangement, BN is contesting 25 seats while PN is fielding candidates in the remaining 11 seats in the Negeri Sembilan state election scheduled for Aug 1.
Meanwhile, Bersatu, despite being a PN component party, is contesting independently in 24 seats. The party’s relationship with PAS has weakened after PAS took over the PN chairmanship and ended its political cooperation with Bersatu last month.
PAS currently leads the state governments in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, while BN has limited representation in those states. PAS also previously led the Perlis government after securing nine seats under PN in the 2022 election.
BN currently holds no parliamentary seats in Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Perlis, highlighting the different political strengths of the two coalitions in the northern region.
