What Bersatu must achieve to remain relevant after N Sembilan polls

 

N SEMBILAN POLLS | The Negeri Sembilan election could be a make-or-break moment for Bersatu as it struggles to remain relevant amid PAS’ attempts to push it out of Perikatan Nasional.

The party’s waning influence saw it losing deposits in 10 of the 16 seats it contested in the Johor election two weeks ago after PAS voters shunned Bersatu candidates despite both parties sharing the PN logo.

The stakes are even higher now that Bersatu is contesting under its own logo.

Expectations are low for the party to win any seats. Its best shot is Labu, which it captured in 2023 thanks to protest votes from BN supporters, but even that is a long shot now.

However, the party may not actually need to win any seats to demonstrate its continued relevance.

More pertinent is whether Bersatu can attract enough Malay votes to deny the BN-PN pact victories in some seats.

For Sunway University political analyst Wong Chin Huat, this simple act of being a spoiler would be enough to prove that Bersatu is still a force to contend with.

However, International Islamic University Malaysia political scientist Syaza Shukri said that would not be enough.

Beyond being a spoiler

“I think just acting as a spoiler is not enough. Firstly, by doing so and benefiting Pakatan Harapan, I’m not sure what their (Bersatu’s) message would be.

“We know that for them, perhaps it is more important to show their relevance vis-a-vis other Malay parties, but in the larger scheme of things, I’m not sure how that is good for Bersatu.

“For me it’s not just enough to be a spoiler, but they need to show they can still attract votes or win seats. Only then can they really gain bargaining power in the future,” she told Malaysiakini.

Syaza said the party should bag at least 20 percent of the vote in the seats it contests, above the 12.5 percent needed to retain its deposits.

Bersatu is contesting 24 seats in Negeri Sembilan, facing PN in eight and BN in the remaining 16.

If it causes enough of a split in Malay votes to cost BN or PN several seats, it could hand Harapan a lifeline in forming the next state government.

However, if it crashes and burns at the polls, losing deposits and failing to make a dent in BN-PN’s path to victory, it would be another massive blow to the party and push it further in decline. - Mkini