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THE political temperature within Malaysia’s unity government rose sharply on Sunday after DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook declared that Negeri Sembilan stands ready to follow Johor into an immediate state election should the southern state trigger a dissolution of its legislative assembly.
The Seremban Member of Parliament said Pakatan Harapan and DAP were fully prepared for a direct electoral battle, warning that Negeri Sembilan could dissolve its State Legislative Assembly “tomorrow” if Johor takes the first step.
The remarks came amid mounting tensions between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) following Johor BN’s announcement that it intends to contest all 56 state seats in the next Johor election.
“If Johor contests all 56 seats, Negeri Sembilan will contest 36 seats. If Johor dissolves tomorrow, Negeri Sembilan can also dissolve tomorrow,” Loke said during his speech at the Pakatan Harapan Convention 2026 at the Persada International Convention Centre.
“Negeri Sembilan is ready to follow Johor’s political timeline, including the possibility of dissolving the State Legislative Assembly tomorrow if Johor does so,” he added.
Loke’s intervention marked the latest escalation in an increasingly public display of strain between coalition allies within the federal government, after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim earlier warned that Pakatan Harapan was prepared to contest every seat nationwide if existing political understandings were breached.
The DAP leader said the party was now fully in “election mode”, signalling that preparations for a potential state poll were already underway.
He stressed that DAP and its PH partners were prepared to enter a full-scale electoral contest should BN continue adopting a more aggressive posture ahead of upcoming state elections.
The latest developments follow comments by Johor Menteri Besar and Johor BN chairman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, who announced that BN would field candidates in all 56 Johor state assembly constituencies in the next state election.
Onn Hafiz said the decision was reached after consultations with the coalition’s top leadership and grassroots machinery, describing the move as necessary to preserve political stability and ensure continuity in Johor’s development agenda.
However, the announcement has intensified speculation that electoral cooperation between PH and BN could fracture ahead of future polls, potentially reshaping the political landscape within the unity government coalition. - May 17, 2026
