Hadi: Seat allocations halfway there, PN needs ‘direct mandate’

Bersatu, Umno and PAS are more than halfway through with seat allocations for GE15, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said today.

“We don’t have a date (for when to finish) but we are doing it stage by stage.

“Now the process is more than 50 percent complete.

“The candidates and constituencies have not been determined because we want to ensure we win as many seats as possible,” Hadi was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian.

He added that Perikatan Nasional needed a “direct mandate” from voters for it to be a strong government.

“We are ready (for GE15) anytime. We need a direct mandate from the rakyat, right now we have a mandate from wakil rakyat (MPs).

“The people’s choice of MPs has come to a deal to enable us a simple majority to form the PN government.

“For a stronger government, we need a direct mandate from the rakyat,” he said.

The current administration was birthed out of the Sheraton Move political coup, which saw Bersatu and 11 PKR MPs quitting Pakatan Harapan. The Harapan government collapsed after former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad resigned.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin was later sworn in as the eighth prime minister after he formed a pact with BN, PAS, GPS, PBS and Star.

This unconventional way of forming a government has led to PN being heckled as a “backdoor” government.

Hadi himself has described it as a kerajaan tebuk atap (the government that came in through the roof).

GE15 is not needed till 2023 but Muhyiddin’s precarious two-seat majority in the Dewan Rakyat has led some of his allies to push for a snap election.

No logo yet

Meanwhile, Hadi told the media this afternoon that PN has yet to decide on a common logo.

“We have not discussed the logo.

“We are starting with seat allocations first,” he was quoted as saying.

Earlier this week, Bersatu Youth chief hopeful and Youth and Sports Deputy Minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal was recorded saying PN will contest the upcoming Sabah election under a dark blue flag emblazoned with the words “Perikatan Nasional”.

Umno Youth, however, dissented and proposed that the BN flag be used in both the state polls and GE15 instead. - Mkini