Amanah division urges Harapan prep for Malacca solo fight, slams Umno

Summary

• Amanah’s Hang Tuah Jaya division passes a resolution calling on Pakatan Harapan to prepare for a solo or three-cornered contest in the next Malacca election.

• A major flashpoint is the Bukit Katil seat, where Umno-linked personnel remain in administrative positions despite the seat being held by an Amanah representative.

• The Amanah resolution follows earlier clashes over seat distribution, including DAP’s “14+14” seat proposal, which was dismissed by Umno Youth as unrealistic.

In a sign of growing tensions within the Madani coalition, Amanah’s Hang Tuah Jaya division passed a resolution urging Pakatan Harapan to be ready to contest solo in the upcoming Malacca election.

The call emerged during the division’s 2025 annual meeting yesterday, where members unanimously agreed that Harapan should consider facing three-cornered fights, accusing Umno of insincerity and arrogance.

“Umno’s attitude of still being shackled by arrogance and not learning from past defeats is very clear, including on the issue of seat distribution, which shows no seriousness or honest intention to reach an agreement,” said Sofi Wahab, Hang Tuah Jaya Amanah chief in a statement.

He added that despite Harapan and Amanah demonstrating goodwill and compromise in previous negotiations, these efforts were not reciprocated.

One key point of contention, said Sofi (above), is the Bukit Katil state seat, where staff linked to Umno’s Japerun office remain in their posts, despite the seat being held by an Amanah assemblyperson.

“This sidelined qualified Amanah members and grassroots supporters, and was tolerated in the hope that Umno would honour the spirit of cooperation - but that hope has proven to be misplaced.”

He described the situation as a betrayal of Harapan’s sincerity and a “humiliation” to Amanah, signalling deeper frustration with the ongoing collaboration.

He said Hang Tuah Jaya Amanah is prepared to contest even in three-way fights to defend the coalition’s integrity, reformist principles, and the trust of the people.

“We believe many grassroots members across other areas share this sentiment,” Sofi added.

The next Malacca state election is due by late 2026, with the five-year term from the previous November 2021 snap polls, triggered by political instability, set to expire then.

The current state government is led by BN, in cooperation with Harapan, under the federal-level Madani pact forged after the 2022 general election.

The Hang Tuah Jaya Amanah move reflects growing unease within Harapan over seat negotiations and Madani government dynamics ahead of looming electoral battles.

Tensions flare over ‘14+14’ seat proposal

Earlier in May this year, there were heated exchanges between Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh and other fellow government figures over DAP’s proposal for BN and Harapan to each contest half of the 28 state seats in Malacca.

Akmal had told DAP to “keep on dreaming” if it is seeking for BN to cede some state seats it previously won, as it will never be given to Harapan.

It was reported that nine DAP branches in Malacca had unanimously passed a resolution supporting the so-called “14+14” strategy for the next state election - a move that, if followed through, means BN would have to cede some of the seats it already holds.

Malacca Amanah chief Ashraf Mukhlis Minghat argued that Harapan deserved to contest a greater share of seats, despite currently holding just five compared to BN’s 21, as the results of the 2022 general election leaned in Harapan’s favour.

PKR Youth communications director Haziq Azfar Ishak had then entered the fray to criticise Akmal’s “harsh and domineering approach”, which he claimed did not add any value to political discussions or efforts to establish a consensus.

Commenting on the kerfuffle, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said government parties do not have to raise the issue of seat allocations before the state polls.

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