BN-PN N Sembilan pact will not sideline other races, look at other PAS-run states: Jalaluddin

 

N SEMBILAN POLLS | BN’s electoral pact with Perikatan Nasional for the state polls, touted to be based on Malay unity, will not lead to the sidelining of non-Malays, assured Negeri Sembilan Umno chief Jalaluddin Alias.

Acknowledging that PN component party PAS is often perceived as being racial and religious “extremists”, Jalaluddin pointed to the Islamist party’s seemingly positive performance in governing various state administrations as a factor which should also be considered by critics.

“PAS has demonstrated its capabilities in ruling state governments, including Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah, and now even Perlis.

“You don’t hear about Malay and Chinese people fighting in Kelantan, which means that (PAS’) administration has already considered stability in terms of racial sensitivity in such states,” Jalaluddin said on KiniTV’s “Explain Sikit” podcast, which aired this morning.

Jalaluddin, who is hoping to defend the Pertang state seat at the Aug 1 state election, said the harmonious situation between races in PAS-governed states is a sort of “benchmark” that voters will have in mind when casting their ballots.

“Looking at the parties’ ability to manage the people and a government, I believe the rakyat will not have any doubts in giving a new mandate to BN and PN on Aug 1, God willing,” he added. 

The Jelebu MP further affirmed that the rakyat “cannot deny” that when BN led the federal and state government before the coalition’s defeat at the 2018 general election, it boasted a “very good track record” for society as a whole.

In particular, Jalaluddin asserted that there were no over-the-top racial disputes leading to clashes among differing races, and there was no “sidelining” of certain races to fuel perceptions of supposed discrimination.

“Chinese people got what was rightfully theirs and so did the Indians - what more the Malays (whose rights are) enshrined in our Federal Constitution.

“Freedom of religion was also something that we implemented then, and there was no opposition against it,” he added.

However, Jalaluddin said the situation changed after BN lost its position in government, with certain matters now happening that have caused anxieties among the public.

Hardline PAS

BN is contesting 25 of the 36 Negeri Sembilan state constituencies, with PN fielding its candidates in the remaining 11 seats.

Alongside 16 candidates from BN linchpin Umno, seven from MCA, and two from MIC, the PN line-up comprises five candidates from PAS, four from Parti Wawasan Negara, and one each from Gerakan and MIPP.

PAS, which has often been criticised by various quarters for hardline positions on racial and religious issues, recently courted flak after the party’s president, Abdul Hadi Awang, described DAP members as being “pendatang brought in by the colonialists”.

In his regular “Minda Presiden PAS” writings on Facebook, Hadi claimed that Islamic teachings should be properly understood in the context of Malaysia’s majority Malay-Muslim population, whom he described as the country’s natives.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang

Hadi later received the backing of Wawasan Negara president Hamzah Zainudin, who instead accused DAP of being the “real racists” allegedly guilty of exploiting racial sentiments despite portraying itself as a multiracial party. 

Unfazed by Linggi assault

On a separate matter, Jalaluddin expressed confidence that Umno will be able to retain its long-standing hold on the Linggi state seat, which Pakatan Harapan’s caretaker menteri besar Aminuddin Harun is eyeing.

Citing studies and calculations undertaken by Umno before the reveal of its candidates for the state polls, Jalaluddin said feedback from surveys indicated strong support for its incumbent assemblyperson, Faizal Ramli.

“(Faizal) was a responsible elected representative… even though he was an exco member, he never forgot his service to the Malays, Chinese, Indians, the Orang Asli community, fisherfolk, villagers, teachers, young people, and so on. 

“I am confident that Faizal will be able to defend his seat, no matter who his challenger is,” Jalaluddin declared.

Faizal Ramli

Linggi is one of the five state constituencies under the Port Dickson parliamentary seat, which Aminuddin holds at the federal level.

Harapan had not contested the seat during the last state election in 2023 following an electoral pact with BN after the formation of the Madani federal government, allowing Umno to secure the seat with 55 percent of the vote.

The last time Harapan contested in Linggi was during the 2018 general election, where they finished as runner-up.

Pending the outcome of the Aug 1 polls, Linggi has only ever been held by an Umno assemblyperson.

Aminuddin has since emphasised that he offered himself to contest in the BN stronghold despite having finished his tenure in the Sikamat constituency.

He added that his decision was also aimed at ensuring that Harapan wins comfortably in order to form a stable state government.

Meanwhile, Jalaluddin also said he is “still not satisfied” with the performance of Umno’s election machinery at the state level, urging all his “generals” to step up their campaigning efforts a notch as BN seeks to wrest the state government from Harapan.

“They must double their efforts even more - if we have 24 hours in a day, make it 30 hours in a day. Within one hour, they must do double, triple work to convince the people and, more importantly, to go and meet them (on the ground).

“Our candidates should be meeting every voter - it’s impossible to do, but we must try our best,” he said. - Mkini