Political analyst Ibrahim Suffian, a pollster from the Merdeka Centre research firm, said Barisan Nasional could suffer a backlash that would harm its efforts to claw back support after the March 2008 general elections.

merdeka center survey on media independence 040908 ibrahim suffian "The long-term implication is that it will demonstrate to the people that BN is not willing to go through the democratic process to gain power, and will resort to measures like this," said Ibrahim ( left ).

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak today said the Perak government, which was voted in last March, had collapsed with the defection of four state assemblypersons.

"I will seek an audience with the Perak sultan to inform him that Barisan Nasional in Perak now has sufficient support to form the new state government," a beaming Najib told a press conference.

According to Ibrahim, the new state government would be predominantly made up of Malay legislators, not reflecting the large ethnic Chinese community in Perak.

slim majority in perak update 040209 BN and its independent allies now controlled 31 seats in the 59-seat in state assembly.

Of the 31, only two are non-Malays - MCA's Mah Hang Soon (Chenderiang) and former DAP state representive Hee Yit Foong (Jelapang).

"This will not help the BN put forward the appearance that they can form a multi-ethnic government in that state," he said.

Non-Malays consist almost 50 percent of Perak's population. In the Pakatan government, there are 17 Chinese, 9 Malays and 5 Indians state representatives.

BN has already suffered a huge drop in support from minority Chinese and Indians, which contributed to its unprecedented losses in the last general elections.

Najib: We didn't start this

As rumours circulated today that Pakatan lawmakers were about to defect, the menteri besar attempted to dissolve the state assembly and trigger fresh elections that pundits said it had a good chance of winning.

najib announce new bn perak state govt 040209 10 "We must go back to the people and get a fresh mandate," opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said earlier.

"The BN are trying to form the state government by hook or by crook - more by crook," he told AFP.

Najib, who is slated to take over from Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi next March, dismissed suggestions the government could be discredited by seizing power through defections - a practice usually frowned on in Malaysia.

"No. We didn't start this," he said of Anwar's failed attempt last year to topple the national government with the help of crossovers.