Muhyiddin undeterred by Malacca defeat, to remain firm with Bersatu
Bersatu chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin remains firm in his decision to contest under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner in the upcoming elections and does not have plans to re-join Umno.
Despite a major defeat in the Malacca polls where PN contested in all 28 seats, Muhyiddin claimed that the 'principled' coalition can offer better governance.
He said this in response to a call by...
Bersatu chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin remains firm in his decision to contest under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner in the upcoming elections and does not have plans to re-join Umno.
Despite a major defeat in the Malacca polls where PN contested in all 28 seats, Muhyiddin claimed that the 'principled' coalition can offer better governance.
He said this in response to a call by former Umno supreme council member Lokman Noor Adam to dissolve Bersatu following its performance in the state election.
“Thank you, Lokman, for being my 'advisor'. However, I must apologise because we have moved far (ahead).
“We are confident that our principles and the foundation of Bersatu and PN can uphold better governance,” an amused Muhyiddin said at a press conference at Hatten Hotel Melaka last night.
Earlier, Lokman suggested that if Muhyiddin valued Muslims, he should return to Umno to strengthen the party’s influence in the next general election.
The former prime minister said he was confident PN’s values such as its transparency, integrity, stance on anti-corruption and misuse of power would lead to the coalition's success.
“Should I abandon those principles to return to my former party? Not at all,” Muhyiddin added.
The Bersatu leader has a long history of attacking Umno, painting the narrative that it was a party that puts its self-interest over the people during the Covid-19 pandemic, referring to the Perak coup in December 2020, the federal coup in August and the latest Malacca crisis last month that sparked the fresh polls.
Last night, BN won the Malacca polls in a landslide victory with a two-thirds majority.
This is a major turnaround for the coalition, which previously had only 13 (all Umno) out of the 28 seats. MCA and MIC did better this time after not winning any seats three years ago at the 2018 general election.
Unexpected inroads for PN
However, while it may seem like a crushing defeat for PN on paper, it made inroads in several seats while achieving unexpected victories.
PN bagged Sungai Udang — a BN stronghold — as well as wrested Bemban from Pakatan Harapan.
The coalition also put up a respectable performance in Tanjung Bidara for example - another BN stronghold - where PN's candidate Mas Ermieyati Samsudin lost by just 364 votes.
Muhyiddin said the coalition made progress in the state but did not have enough of an influence to form the state government.
He extended his congratulations to BN and hoped it would keep to its word in delivering the promises listed in its manifesto.
