Melaka polls: PH-Bersatu pact may boost chances against BN

KUALA LUMPUR: A potential electoral cooperation between Pakatan Harapan and Bersatu could strengthen both parties' prospects in the Melaka election by helping the coalition shore up Malay support and giving Bersatu a broader platform.

Political analysts said this could prevent a split in votes and enable PH and Bersatu to mount a stronger challenge against Barisan Nasional, which has emerged from recent state elections with strong results.

They said the biggest hurdle would be convincing PH grassroots to accept Bersatu, given the latter's role in the political upheaval that led to the collapse of the PH administration during the Sheraton Move in 2020.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities director Associate Professor Dr Mazlan Ali said the proposed cooperation could give PH a stronger platform to challenge BN, particularly as PH continued to face difficulties in securing Malay support.

He said PH's performance in recent state elections highlighted the importance of bringing additional Malay support into any broader electoral arrangement, while Bersatu needed to work with a larger coalition to remain competitive.

"PH, after the Johor and Negri Sembilan elections, found that it lacked Malay support.

"And Bersatu, after being sidelined by Pas, is on its own.

"Ber-satu cannot contest alone and needs to join a larger coalition."

BN won 48 of the 56 seats in the Johor election in July.

In the following month, it won 18 of the 36 seats in Negri Sembilan, with Perikatan Nasional taking seven.

Mazlan said Bersatu could provide PH with more support among Malay voters, while PH could give Bersatu a platform to remain electorally competitive.

He said this could be significant in mixed constituencies, where the combination of Malay and non-Malay support could allow PH and Bersatu to mount a stronger challenge.

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"For Bersatu, there is no other option. BN will not accept it and Pas has already removed the party (from PN).

"What Bersatu has now is PH."

Mazlan said the proposed cooperation should not be viewed as unusual despite the history between the two parties.

"In politics, there are no permanent enemies and no permanent friends.

"What matters is how both parties can use the situation to strengthen their position."

International Islamic University Malaysia political analyst and Ishak Institute fellow Associate Professor Dr Syaza Shukri said the proposed cooperation was realistic as PH and Bersatu were at a point where they had little to lose by exploring a new arrangement.

"But the problem is whether the grassroots, especially those in PH, can accept Bersatu, which is seen as having betrayed PH."

Syaza said the cooperation could make the contest more competitive by creating an almost one-to-one contest between the opposing sides, should BN and PN work together.

She said a split in votes between PH and Bersatu could make it easier for BN to secure victories, whereas cooperation could prevent opposition votes from being divided.

Syaza said the cooperation alone might not be enough for PH and Bersatu to secure 15 seats, the simple majority needed to form the government.

She said its immediate effect would instead be to make the contest more competitive.

The potential cooperation comes as the two sides continue discussions on a possible electoral arrangement for the election.