Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) have not held discussions on extending their political cooperation for the 16th General Election (GE16), according to Umno vice-president Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.
Wan Rosdy said the immediate focus was on strengthening the newly formed Negeri Sembilan state government following the recent state election before considering other political matters.
“We have not discussed that yet. For now, our priority is to settle matters in Negeri Sembilan first. After that, we will look into other issues.
“Perhaps we will then review developments in Melaka,” he was quoted as saying after attending an event in Temerloh.
Speculation over a possible extension of the BN-PN cooperation emerged after PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said the partnership in Negeri Sembilan would be evaluated from time to time, raising the possibility of the arrangement continuing into the Melaka election and eventually GE16.
BN chairman and Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had earlier indicated that the cooperation between BN and PN would continue for the upcoming Melaka state election.
In the Negeri Sembilan election, BN and PN secured 25 out of 36 state seats, allowing them to form the state government with a two-thirds majority. BN won 18 seats, PN captured seven, while Pakatan Harapan (PH) retained 11 seats.
Meanwhile, PH election director Amirudin Shari had attributed the coalition’s defeat in Negeri Sembilan to what he described as identity politics used by political opponents during the campaign.
Wan Rosdy rejected allegations that BN relied on racial issues, saying the election results reflected voters’ confidence in candidates and their ability to deliver a stable administration.
He pointed to MCA’s victory in a Malay-majority constituency as an example, saying the outcome showed voters made decisions based on the candidates rather than racial considerations.
