Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) has announced that all of its candidates will contest the upcoming Negeri Sembilan state election under the party’s own logo after seat allocation talks within Perikatan Nasional (PN) failed to reach a conclusion.
Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the decision was made after the PN Seat Negotiation Committee meeting for the Negeri Sembilan election was postponed indefinitely, with Bersatu also excluded from further discussions on seat distribution.
Speaking at a special press conference after chairing the party’s Supreme Leadership Council (MPT) meeting on Wednesday, Muhyiddin stressed that the move was intended to strengthen Bersatu’s identity and should not be interpreted as a split from the opposition coalition.
“Before making this decision, we received a lot of feedback asking why we were not using the Bersatu logo. This is not because we are leaving PN or changing our political direction, but to give the party a clearer identity,” he said.
Muhyiddin explained that the decision was also influenced by Bersatu’s experience during the Johor state election, where he claimed the use of the PN logo had confused voters. According to him, many grassroots members and supporters believed the Bersatu logo was more recognisable than the coalition’s symbol.
Despite contesting under its own emblem, Muhyiddin insisted that Bersatu remains a component party of PN and that no decision has been made for the party to leave the coalition.
Looking ahead to the Negeri Sembilan campaign, he said Bersatu would focus on issues affecting ordinary Malaysians, including economic growth, the rising cost of living, healthcare, education, racial harmony and efforts to improve the country’s overall condition.
Muhyiddin said concerns over soaring living costs, stagnant incomes and wider economic challenges were among the issues most frequently raised by the public during his engagements across the country.
He also revealed that several political parties had expressed interest in contesting under the Bersatu logo in the state election. The party’s Supreme Leadership Council has authorised him, as president, to approve the use of the Bersatu symbol by candidates from other parties where appropriate.
Muhyiddin ended by urging Negeri Sembilan voters to support and vote for Bersatu candidates in the upcoming state election.
