BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says he has given state chairman Ab Rauf Yusoh the authority to negotiate with any party.
Zahid said he had given Melaka BN chairman Ab Rauf Yusoh the authority to negotiate with any coalition.
The Umno president said seat allocation was one of the more challenging issues in political negotiations, but he believed it could be resolved through proper discussions.
“If discussions are held properly, there are no problems that cannot be resolved,” Buletin TV3 reported him as saying at an event in Gerik, Perak, today.
“Any decision reached through those discussions will be conveyed to the top leadership, and I will also bring it to the BN Supreme Council for us to finalise.”
BN won 18 seats in the Aug 1 Negeri Sembilan election while PAS-led Perikatan Nasional secured seven, giving their alliance a two-thirds majority in the state assembly.
While Zahid said their pact will continue in the Melaka election, which is expected by the end of the year, the two coalitions appear to have reached an impasse in seat negotiations.
He said BN intends to defend all the 21 seats it won in the last state election, but PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang insists preliminary talks are still going on.
Hamzah Zainudin, president of PN component Wawasan, had also called for both coalitions to adopt a give-and-take approach in seat talks.
Political talks do not necessarily mean partnership, says Rauf
Rauf had said political negotiations between BN and other parties ahead of the Melaka election did not necessarily mean they would ultimately become partners.
He said several factors would be considered during the talks, including the strengths, weaknesses, and advantages of each party, as well as the best strategy to help coalition partners win the seats they contest.
The Melaka chief minister said he was open to negotiations with any party through formal channels, rather than exchanges on social media.
“The negotiations do not necessarily have to culminate in us becoming partners,” he said.
On the interest of Pakatan Harapan leaders in such talks, Rauf said BN left it to voters to make their own assessments following PH’s decision to withdraw its support for the state government last month.
“I have not made any decision. As far as the moral aspect is concerned, it is up to (voters) to decide. We have not decided who can join the negotiations. Certainly, we have our own choices,” he said.
The current term of the Melaka state assembly ends in December, unless it is dissolved earlier. An election must be held within 60 days of dissolution, or by late February at the latest. - FMT
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