PN should not be overly excited about seizing PH seats – Perak PKR information chief

IPOH – Perikatan Nasional (PN) has been advised not to get overly excited about calculating that it can seize several Pakatan Harapan (PH) State Legislative Assembly seats in Perak if it cooperates with Barisan Nasional (BN) in the upcoming General Election (GE).

State Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) information chief Azam Afandi said the political analysis made by PN suggesting the coalition has the potential to seize six PH state seats cannot be used as an absolute measure.

According to him, election results cannot be calculated simply by adding the PN and BN votes from GE15 and assuming the total votes will automatically transfer to a single coalition.

"Voters are not numbers on paper that can be moved from one column to another. Candidate factors, government performance, current issues, grassroots acceptance, voter turnout and shifting voter preferences will all determine the outcome.

"In fact, there is a much bigger question that needs to be answered first. Is PN truly certain that BN agrees and wants to form a political alliance with them?" he told Sinar on Monday.

He said this in response to a statement by PN chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, as reported by Sinar Harian on Sunday, that PN and BN have the potential to seize at least six state seats in Perak currently held by PH if both coalitions reach a political consensus in the next election.

Azam said if the strength formula based on GE15 is used to determine seat allocations between PN and BN, it also raises questions about which party would have to make greater sacrifices.

He noted that a large portion of seats traditionally held as Umno and BN strongholds shifted to PN during GE15.

"If seats are determined based on who was stronger in the previous election results, mathematically, many Malay areas would give the negotiating advantage to PN.

"Furthermore, if the coalition manages to form the state government, who will lead it? Are Umno and BN prepared to accept the possibility that the Perak Menteri Besar post might ultimately fall into PN's hands?" he questioned.

He added that Umno's leadership and grassroots certainly have their own political considerations and will not easily hand over traditional seats or state government leadership positions to another party based merely on a mathematical formula.

Consequently, Azam said PN should first resolve whether BN is genuinely ready to share that political 'calculator'.

"Politics is not just about adding votes, but also about trust, compatibility, power-sharing and grassroots acceptance.

"When PN speaks about government stability, the public also has the right to look at historical records, including the period of political instability after 2020 when government changes occurred without a general election, along with changes in national leadership," he said.

Meanwhile, Azam said Perak PKR takes the analysis seriously and will pay attention to five seats currently represented by the party, including Tualang Sekah, Hulu Kinta, Simpang Pulai, Hutan Melintang and Teja.

Yesterday, it was reported that six state seats identified as having the best potential for a shift in support from PH to a PN-BN coalition are the Tualang Sekah, Hulu Kinta, Tebing Tinggi, Sungai Rapat, Hutan Melintang and Teja seats.