KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 — Barisan Nasional’s cooperation with Perikatan Nasional in the Negeri Sembilan state election is only a political understanding and does not amount to a formal agreement, Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said.
According to Utusan Malaysia, Ahmad said there was no formal pact at the state level, leaving Umno and BN free to determine the strategies they considered best to remain relevant and win the election.
“At the state level, there is no agreement. That is why we are free to determine the best strategy and approach to ensure Umno and BN remain relevant and win,” he was quoted as saying after opening the Cheras Umno division delegates’ meeting last night.
Ahmad said the parties should first consider developments in Negeri Sembilan before deciding on their next steps, adding that any negotiations should take into account the state’s political circumstances and demographic composition.
He said Negeri Sembilan had a relatively balanced ethnic composition, with Malays not forming an overwhelming majority and Chinese and Indians making up sizeable segments of the population.
His remarks came after MIC president Tan Sri S. A. Vigneswaran called on BN to consider contesting future state elections on its own following remarks by PAS leaders that he said had repeatedly offended non-Malays.
