Pakatan Harapan has yet to finalize electoral cooperation with Bersatu or BN for the Melaka state election, with final decisions resting on the PH Presidential Council.
PUTRAJAYA: Pakatan Harapan (PH) has yet to decide on possible electoral cooperation with Bersatu or Barisan Nasional (BN) in the upcoming Melaka state election, with discussions involving various parties still ongoing.
Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said no leader should pre-empt any decision on potential election partners, as the matter would ultimately be decided by the PH Presidential Council, particularly PH chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“At the moment, PH in Melaka has informed us that it is holding a series of discussions with various parties to assess the suitability of either an understanding or some form of cooperation, and to determine what is and is not appropriate.
“We still have time. Ultimately, the decision will be made by PH and conveyed to the PH Presidential Council,” he said at a press conference after today’s post-Cabinet meeting.
Earlier, PH Melaka had ruled out electoral cooperation with Bersatu in the upcoming state election, with the coalition expected to contest all 28 state seats without partnering with parties outside PH.
PH Melaka deputy chairman Khoo Poay Tiong said the state leadership would convey DAP’s position on the matter to the PH Presidential Council, while remaining open to discussions with other political parties.
However, he stressed that being open to negotiations did not necessarily mean PH would enter into any form of cooperation, saying such discussions would be subject to certain “red lines”.
Khoo, who is also Kota Melaka MP and Melaka DAP chairman, also dismissed speculation arising from his absence at a PH-Bersatu dinner in Melaka, saying it was merely a social gathering and should not be interpreted as evidence of political cooperation.
He added that seat allocation among PH component parties had been finalised, with the coalition expected to announce its candidates after the Election Commission meeting on Oct 7.
