Bersatu to contest Negeri Sembilan polls under own logo

 The Muhyiddin Yassin-led party decides not to contest under the banner of Perikatan Nasional, which is set to unveil its candidates tomorrow.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin said several other parties have also stated their interest in contesting under the party’s emblem in the Aug 1 state polls.

PETALING JAYA:

Bersatu has decided to contest the 16th Negeri Sembilan state election under its own logo, breaking away from the Perikatan Nasional banner.

At a press conference here tonight, Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin said several other parties have also stated their interest in contesting under the party’s emblem in the Aug 1 state polls.

“The Bersatu Supreme Council has given me the mandate to allow candidates from other parties to use the Bersatu logo to contest,” he said after a Bersatu Supreme Council meeting.

The former prime minister said Bersatu has yet to decide on the number of candidates to field, with the party to unveil its election hopefuls on Friday.

Asked if Bersatu would be quitting PN, he said no decision has been made yet. “We will look into this after the Negeri Sembilan state election.”

This follows the outcome of the Johor state election last Saturday which saw PN wiped out amid the ongoing feud between PAS and Bersatu.

PAS ended its political cooperation with Bersatu last month though both parties remain PN components and contested in the Johor polls under the coalition’s banner. However, PAS did not help Bersatu with its campaign.

PN, which is currently led by PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, is set to unveil its candidates for the Negeri Sembilan election tomorrow night.

Earlier this evening, Barisan Nasional deputy chairman Mohamad Hasan hinted that the coalition would be working with PAS, saying an understanding would be reached with “trusted partners” for the Negeri Sembilan polls.

Using Bersatu logo a calculated risk

Asked whether Bersatu’s decision to contest under its own logo instead of the PN symbol would confuse voters, Muhyiddin acknowledged the risk, but said the party had made a calculated decision.

“Yes, we have taken that into account. It is a calculated risk. But if we are not brave enough to take the plunge, we will not get anywhere.

“If we remain as we are, we already know the situation and the circumstances that will arise, and defeat is most likely. We have already seen what happened in Johor,” he said.

Muhyiddin said Bersatu was aware that the decision marked a new approach, but believed it was the best course of action after weighing all options.

“Our responsibility is now much heavier. But before making this decision, we received a great deal of feedback from the public and from our members,” he said. - FMT