PETALING JAYA: A former Umno leader has suggested that all political coalitions and parties go solo in the Melaka polls to gauge their actual strength ahead of the next general election (GE16).
Former Batu Pahat MP Puad Zarkashi said it appeared that the major players were struggling to reach a compromise and agree on alliances for the Nov 14 state election.
"It would be better for all of them to go solo, whether Barisan Nasional (BN), Pakatan Harapan (PH), PAS, Bersatu, Wawasan or Bersama, to gauge their respective strengths.
"Only then can they determine who really needs whom, and which entities are merely mosquito parties.
"That way, when GE16 comes along, the relevant parties will be more humble and realistic when choosing their electoral partners," Puad said in a Facebook post.
Voters in Melaka will go to the polls on Nov 14, with 28 seats up for grabs. BN won 21 seats in the 2021 polls, while PH secured five and Perikatan Nasional (PN) two.
BN previously stated its intention to cooperate with PN in Melaka following their alliance's convincing victory in the Aug 1 Negeri Sembilan polls.
However, the Umno-led coalition opened the door to talks with PH and dragged its feet in confirming an alliance with PAS-led PN.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang nonetheless claimed that PAS and BN had agreed in principle to join forces in Melaka.
PH, meanwhile, has been linked to speculation of a pact with Bersatu, which fell out of favour in PN but remains a component of the opposition coalition.