Umno can win over 40 seats in GE16 with PN’s cooperation, says PAS leader

PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari says a BN-PN pact offers Umno a more realistic path to electoral gains than continued cooperation with PH.

PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari said cooperation with PN could significantly improve Umno’s prospects at the ballot box.

PETALING JAYA:

 PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari says Umno can win more than 40 parliamentary seats in the 16th general election if it pursues the proposed “grand collaboration” and “Rumah Bangsa” with Perikatan Nasional (PN).

He noted that Umno won only 26 seats in GE15 but argued that cooperation with PN could significantly improve the party’s prospects.

Fadhli acknowledged that elections were not a matter of simple arithmetic, but said voting patterns showed that PN supporters were capable of backing Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates.

“If the ‘grand collaboration’ and ‘Rumah Bangsa’ proposed by the Umno president is pursued with PN, Umno can easily add 10 seats in the coming general election,” he said.

On the final day of the 2025 Umno general assembly on Jan 17, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had revealed a plan to unite all Malay and Muslim-based parties in Malaysia under a “grand collaboration” or “Rumah Bangsa”.

“Although electoral calculations are not like basic mathematics, it is clear that PN voters can vote for BN, as seen in the series of by-elections after GE14,” said Fadhli.

He cited Cameron Highlands and Tanjung Piai as examples.

He also highlighted several constituencies won by Pakatan Harapan (PH) in GE15 where Umno finished second and where it could have emerged victorious if PN’s votes had been added.

“Looking at the seats won by PH where Umno came in second, PN’s votes could have made Umno the winner. This could easily translate into an additional 10 seats,” he said, listing Lembah Pantai, Kuala Selangor, Sungai Buloh, Hulu Langat, Sekijang, Ledang, Sri Gading, Alor Gajah, Hang Tuah Jaya, and Johor Bahru.

Using Johor Bahru as an example, Fadhli said: “In Johor Bahru, the PH candidate won with 43,252 votes, while the Umno candidate had 27,211 votes and the PN candidate had 22,075 votes. Combined, Umno and PN would have 49,286 votes, surpassing PH and winning the seat for the coalition.”

Fadhli added that in seat negotiations, constituencies where Umno finished second would naturally be contested by the party.

He also said several BN component party seats could be winnable under such cooperation.

“In the BN context, Bentong and Labis contested by MCA, and Sungai Siput contested by MIC, have a strong chance of victory because these BN component parties were second behind PH,” he said.

He said the calculation did not include other seats that were narrowly lost.

“This does not yet account for seats won by PH where PN came second and BN lost by a small margin, but which could also be open for discussion and contestation,” he said.

Describing his analysis as a basic projection, Fadhli cautioned that many factors could still influence voters.

However, he said they were sufficient to form the basis for discussions about a political coalition.

Responding to suggestions that a PH-BN alliance could deliver bigger wins, Fadhli questioned whether voters would continue to accept such a partnership.

“Can BN voters as a whole accept a coalition with PH in GE16? This rejection has already been demonstrated in the six state elections in 2023, where some BN voters rejected the idea of a PH-BN alliance,” he said, adding that BN voters were more inclined towards cooperation with PN. - FMT