(Seremban, 20th) Former UMNO Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin stated that the cooperation between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the 16th Negeri Sembilan state election is an important strategy, with hopes that it will bring major victories for both coalitions.
He said that as long as the Malay votes are no longer split, the chances for BN and PN to win more state seats in Negeri Sembilan are highly optimistic.
Khairy pointed out that although some UMNO division heads in Negeri Sembilan are dissatisfied with giving up some seats to PAS and Gerakan, this strategy must still be accepted in order to ensure victory.
"Like it or not, in some constituencies, if the Malay vote is split, we will lose. For example, in Sungai Buloh parliamentary seat."
"In Sungai Buloh, Pakatan Harapan won with 50,000 votes. I got 48,000 votes, while PAS got 29,000. This proves that as long as there is a PAS candidate, the Malay vote will keep splitting."
"This time, we hope there will only be one main Malay bloc in Negeri Sembilan. BN, PAS, and Gerakan should not split the votes. If we want to win big, this is what must be done."
According to Berita Harian, Khairy made these remarks last night while attending and delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of UMNO Subang Youth Division Delegates Meeting at the Selangor UMNO building.
He said the political landscape in Negeri Sembilan is different from Johor, and thus requires a more flexible and strategic political approach.
"In Johor, we are the ruling party, and we have the Menteri Besar and a good administrative track record. But in Negeri Sembilan, the Menteri Besar is from Pakatan Harapan, and both the state and federal administrative machinery are led by Pakatan, plus the proportion of non-Malay voters is higher."
"Therefore, we must develop a more strategic and flexible political direction."
On the other hand, Khairy claimed that the BN-Pakatan cooperation in jointly leading the federal government over the past four years has not achieved the expected results.
"We have already given Pakatan four years, but by the looks of today, this cooperation has had some problems. Do you all agree?"
"It’s not just a small problem, but many problems. We have already persisted for such a long time in the current government."
However, he emphasized that he does not advocate, if BN wins the Negeri Sembilan state election, to dissolve Parliament or take extreme actions.
"I am not the type to say 'if we win Negeri Sembilan, dissolve Parliament; if we win Negeri Sembilan, resign.' No, we have to remain mature about this matter."