PN is ready for three-cornered fights with BN in Malacca polls - Muhyiddin

Perikatan Nasional (PN) is ready to face off with BN in the upcoming Malacca state election if there is no clear signal from the latter on the cooperation between both coalitions, said its chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin.

“The matter was raised after Malacca Bersatu chief Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen said two weeks ago that we are ready to cooperate (with BN). The question is if the other side is ready or not.

“We have not gotten a firm and clear answer yet. (So we) have announced the nomination and polling date (for state election),” he told a press conference today.

“I had said if there is no clear signal, then we will follow the decision made by PN and the allies in PN are united... If we have to face three-cornered fights, then we must face it,” he said.

“We are fighters, (although) this is not a fighting party, but we (have to) face political reality. If you ask me, I want to be good to every ummah (Muslim) for the unity of the ummah,” he said.

In response to a question, he also disagreed that multi-cornered fights will give an advantage to Pakatan Harapan.

“Not necessarily, because the way I look at it, the state polls are triggered by irresponsible action from certain quarters who caused the collapse of the (BN-led) state government,” he said.

Such a move has provoked many in the state as the people felt that the focus should be given to containing the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.

“But a state election has to be called due to what happened and this is the reality of parliamentary democracy,” he said.

The Malacca state government fell after four state lawmakers withdrew their support for the leadership of former chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali.

The four were Idris Haron (BN-Sungai Udang), Nor Azman Hassan (BN-Pantai Kundor), Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Independent-Pengkalan Batu) and Noor Effandi Ahmad (Bersatu-Telok Mas).

Following that, Malacca governor Mohd Ali Rustam announced the dissolution of the state assembly, paving way for the Nov 20 state polls.

Umno president and BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had stated publicly that the party will not work with Bersatu during the Malacca election.

Zahid, however, said on Tuesday that Umno and BN’s cooperation with other parties in the Malacca snap polls will be decided after three levels of meetings scheduled next week.

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