Big BN win in Melaka will widen rift with PH, says Umno man

An Umno leader expects ties between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) to sour further if BN pulls off a big win in the Melaka state election.

With both coalitions widely expected to clash in the Nov 14 polls, Umno Supreme Council member Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the outcome could influence considerations regarding the next general election (GE16).

“If the Melaka polls result in BN adding two or three more seats to its name, then PH would be finished in Melaka.

“This would further widen the rift between BN and PH in the unity government as GE16 approaches,” the former Pulai MP told FMT.

Nur Jazlan was commenting on a prediction by political analyst and former DAP leader Ong Kian Ming that BN could win up to 25 seats in the Melaka polls.

Ong cited the sentiments and momentum that BN was enjoying, and said PH could lose two key seats to BN: Bukit Katil, held by former chief minister Adly Zahari, and the DAP stronghold of Ayer Keroh.

Another Umno Supreme Council member, Pontian MP Ahmad Maslan, said he was happy to hear Ong’s projection but that BN could not rest on its laurels during the campaign period.

“I, too, predict that BN will win big. But we must not be overconfident. We must continue working hard day and night, meeting voters on the ground,” he said.

In the 2021 Melaka polls, BN secured a two-thirds majority after winning 21 of the 28 seats up for grabs in the state assembly. PH won five seats and Perikatan Nasional two.

BN lost its supermajority when Rembia assemblyman Jailani Khamis defected from Umno to PAS before the state’s anti-hopping law came into effect.