BN can repeat Johor success in Negeri Sembilan, says Salleh

 The Sabah Umno treasurer adds, however, that the coalition needs to adopt a strategy that suits the different political landscape.

Sabah Umno treasurer Salleh Said Keruak said local issues, voter sentiment, and the choice of the menteri besar candidate will influence the outcome of the Negeri Sembilan state election.

PETALING JAYA:

Former Sabah chief minister Salleh Said Keruak believes that Barisan Nasional can repeat its success in the Johor state election at the Negeri Sembilan state polls next month, although the coalition would need to adopt a different strategy.

The Sabah Umno treasurer said the political landscape in Negeri Sembilan was different as it was led by a Pakatan Harapan government before the dissolution of the state assembly early last month.

“Local issues, voter sentiment, and the choice of the menteri besar candidate will also influence the outcome,” he said in a Facebook post.

BN retained Johor on Saturday after winning 48 of the 56 seats it contested, while PH won the remaining eight.

Salleh said if BN intends on forming the next Negeri Sembilan government, seat negotiations must be guided by winnability.

He said multi-cornered contests only serve to divide the votes and reduce the coalition’s chances of success.

Seat allocation should take into account each party’s strength in individual constituencies, past electoral performance, campaign machinery, candidate quality, and overall contribution to the coalition.

“Success should be measured not by the number of seats each party contests, but by the total number of seats won,” he said.

In the last Negeri Sembilan election, BN won 14 of the 17 seats it contested and went on to form the state government with PH.

Negeri Sembilan will go to the polls on Aug 1. - FMT