PH weighs going solo in Melaka polls as seat talks with BN hit impasse

KUALA LUMPUR: Going solo has emerged as Pakatan Harapan's most strategic option for the upcoming Melaka state polls as cooperation with Barisan Nasional has reached an impasse, political analysts said.

This follows BN's firm stance to defend all 21 seats it won in the 2021 state election.

The issue escalated after acting Melaka PKR chief Adam Adli Abd Halim said PH was ready to contest all 28 state seats independently.

Ilham Centre executive director Hisommudin Bakar said the lack of progress in seat allocation left PH with no choice but to build its own electoral narrative ahead of the polls.

"Adam's statement is a clear signal that PH cannot afford to wait indefinitely for BN.

"PH must prepare its supporters early for the reality that political cooperation in Putrajaya will not automatically translate into a formal electoral alliance at the state level," he told the New Straits Times.

Hisommudin said, with BN holding a solid two-thirds majority, PH's primary focus must shift towards safeguarding its five incumbent seats held by DAP and Amanah, while strategically targeting a handful of mixed battlegrounds to preserve its regional influence.

On Sunday, Adam said the party had to be prepared for the polls, adding that it was not as if PH had never contested all seats before.

"We must always be prepared because whether to negotiate or not is a choice, and every party has the right to decide.

"Contesting all seats will not be an issue for us."

Universiti Malaya political analyst Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub said Adam's declaration was both a practical contingency plan and a calculated negotiating posture intended to pressure BN leadership into commencing formal talks on equitable terms.

"PH's strongest claim is for seats it currently holds or where it maintains a proven competitive record, particularly in urban and mixed constituencies."

He said deferring talks until after the state legislative assembly is officially dissolved would put PH at a severe disadvantage, potentially sparking sabotage and candidate friction due to a compressed campaign timeline.

He added that going solo presented a formidable challenge for PH, given the state's current political makeup.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities' Associate Professor Dr Mazlan Ali said that current political indicators suggested that BN would rely on its established machinery, likely restricting PH's wins to between five and seven seats within Chinese-majority and urban mixed areas.

He said that while DAP retained a firm footing in its traditional strongholds, PKR faced a tougher battle to reclaim lost territory unless it successfully capitalises on urban middle-class sentiment over national issues.

"Current indicators suggest that BN could retain the number of seats it previously won. Although PH may not take over Melaka from BN, PH still stands a chance of winning at least seven state assembly seats in Chinese-majority and urban mixed constituencies.

"It might be more difficult for PKR to win seats compared with DAP."

The analysts also said that a direct contest between PH and BN in Melaka would not threaten the stability of the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim