BN-PN seat allocation must reflect current realities, says Kedah Umno leader

Any seat allocation formula between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) in Kedah must be based on current conditions and realities rather than past election results alone, said Kedah Umno leader Shaiful.

He said the political landscape and sentiment were changing rapidly, making it unsuitable for previous election outcomes to be the only basis for determining seat distribution or the form of cooperation in the state.

"The seat allocation formula must be based on current conditions and realities. Past state election records should not be the sole reference point for determining any formula," he told FMT. (Quote translated from Malay.)

He was commenting on the question of seat distribution between BN and PN in Kedah should the understanding reached by the two coalitions for the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections be extended to other states.

FMT had earlier reported the view of analyst Mazlan Ali, who said the biggest test of the BN-PN relationship would be in PAS strongholds, including Kedah.

The Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) academic raised the challenge of seat allocation given that BN holds no state assembly or parliamentary seats in those states.

In the 2023 Kedah state election, BN — which worked with Pakatan Harapan (PH) — failed to win any seat. PN, whose election machinery is headed by its election director Sanusi Nor, took 33 of the state's assembly seats, while PH won three.

Shaiful said Kedah Umno was for now taking a "wait and see" approach towards possible cooperation with PN as no discussions had taken place at the state level.

"To date, no discussions have been held and Kedah Umno has also not received any instruction from the top leadership.

"However, if instructed, Kedah Umno has no problem cooperating within whatever scope is set," he said.

BN and PN previously cooperated in the Negeri Sembilan state election before forming the government after both coalitions won 25 of the 36 state assembly seats.