DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook has made it clear that Pakatan Harapan (PH) will not cooperate with Barisan Nasional (BN) in the upcoming Negeri Sembilan state election, ruling out any electoral pact between the two coalitions at the state level.
Speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Loke said such cooperation in Negeri Sembilan was a non-starter given the circumstances that led to the dissolution of the state assembly. "The whole idea of dissolving the state assembly was because Umno had withdrawn its support. How can we now say we will cooperate with them just to avoid any defeat?" he asked.
The Negeri Sembilan state assembly was dissolved on June 5 after 14 Umno assemblymen declared they had lost confidence in Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun and withdrew support for his administration. Although the Umno bloc later stated it would remain in the state government, it maintained its withdrawal of support for Aminuddin, effectively forcing an early election.
Loke also confirmed that PH would contest all 36 state seats in Negeri Sembilan, describing the move as a direct response to BN's decision to go solo. "Umno wants to fight everything in Johor. PH also wants to fight everything in Negeri Sembilan. So, tit for tat," he said.
BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had earlier said his coalition remained open to continuing cooperation with PH to preserve the unity government framework in Negeri Sembilan. However, Loke firmly dismissed the notion, noting that any electoral collaboration was impossible after Umno's withdrawal of support for the sitting menteri besar.
Despite the political confrontation in Negeri Sembilan, Loke emphasized that the relationship between PH and BN at the federal level remained intact. "As far as we are concerned, at this point it is still a working relationship. We are still running the government together. Of course, we do not want to jeopardise the situation at the federal level. The Cabinet still functions as normal," he said.
Loke also hit back at former PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli, dismissing claims that DAP had applied pressure on the Negeri Sembilan government to dissolve the assembly. He reiterated that DAP and PH were fully prepared to face the electorate on their own terms.
The Election Commission has set August 1 as polling day for Negeri Sembilan, while Johor goes to the polls on July 11. The separate polling dates have drawn criticism from some quarters, but Loke said PH was focused on running a strong, independent campaign in both states.
The coming Negeri Sembilan election is expected to be a fierce contest as PH and BN, which have been allies in the federal unity government since 2022, find themselves on opposite sides of the ballot box at the state level for the first time.
Sources: Free Malaysia Today, Bernama
