PUTRAJAYA: Pakatan Harapan chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim maintains that there were elements of betrayal in Negeri Sembilan, despite his Barisan Nasional counterpart, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, rejecting such claims.
The prime minister said there were efforts to destabilise Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun's administration, which had otherwise operated with political and economic stability.
"I have previously stated that to ensure the success of (the PH-BN) cooperation in this country, there should be no acts of betrayal," Anwar told reporters on the sidelines of the 10th annual general meeting of Koprojaya here today.
"If there was no betrayal, that's good. But from our experience in Negeri Sembilan, there were certainly attempts to bring down the government despite the state's political and economic stability. For me, there was a bit of betrayal."
Zahid had earlier denied that Umno had betrayed PH in Negeri Sembilan, noting that the party eventually ordered its 14 assemblymen to continue backing Aminuddin's administration despite having initially retracted their support. The Umno president said his party had agreed to support Aminuddin until the end of his term, but it was the menteri besar's right to seek the state assembly's dissolution and call for fresh polls.
The Negeri Sembilan state election will be held on August 1, with nominations on July 18 and early voting on July 28. PH and BN are set to clash at the ballot box despite being federal allies, a situation that has created friction between the two coalitions.
Anwar, who is also PKR president, reiterated that his focus remained on economic growth and addressing the people's concerns rather than holding an early general election. He said it would be better to spend the next few months focusing on the global economic crisis instead of being preoccupied with electoral campaigns.
The polls followed a political crisis in which 14 Umno assemblymen initially withdrew support for Aminuddin's PH-led government. Although they later reversed their decision, the damage had been done and the menteri besar opted to dissolve the state assembly with the consent of the Negeri Sembilan Ruler, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.
The last state election in Negeri Sembilan on August 12, 2023, saw PH winning 17 seats, BN taking 14, and Perikatan Nasional securing five. The current election will determine whether PH can retain power amid the fractured landscape.
The campaign is expected to focus on political stability, coalition trust and the events that led to the early dissolution.
Sources: Free Malaysia Today, Bernama, Election Commission
