BN to stand by Madani govt until GE16, even as Umno mulls PN pact in S'gor

BN will keep its promise to support the unity government at the federal level until the end of its term, said Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.

However, BN has the right to chart its own political path at the state level despite its federal position, he added.

"BN remains committed to the agreement forged following the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's decree on Nov 23, 2022, to support the unity government until the next general election.

"As was the case in Johor, when the Negeri Sembilan state election is held, BN has the right to determine whatever form of political cooperation it deems appropriate at the state level," Asyraf said in a social media post.

This comes a day after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim cautioned his cabinet members and deputy ministers against attacking each other when campaigning in Negeri Sembilan.

The state polls are seeing BN and Anwar-led Pakatan Harapan colliding head-on in 25 seats despite still maintaining their partnership in the Madani federal government.

BN is also supporting Perikatan Nasional at 11 other constituencies under a heavily criticised electoral pact.

S’gor could be next

There are also talks that BN, led by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, might widen the cooperation with PN to other states.

For instance, former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has hinted at emulating the formula in Selangor, which he said has a similar voter demographic to Negeri Sembilan.

"If the Malay votes are solid, like the examples I gave earlier, we can also win Selangor, insyaAllah," he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian yesterday.

However, Khairy said such a cooperation will depend on the performance of the BN-PN pact in the Negeri Sembilan polls and further discussions between their leaders.

The former health minister also commented on the BN-Harapan ties at the federal level.

According to Khairy, the electoral pact between BN and PN in Negeri Sembilan is a signal that there is something wrong in the relationship between parties in Anwar's unity government.

However, BN doesn't have to quit the government as it still needs to prioritise the country's stability until the next general election, he added.

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