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Perikatan Nasional secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan has indicated that negotiations with the coalition’s prospective partners for the Malacca state election are nearly complete.
Asked in Parliament today whether talks had reached 98 or 99 percent, Takiyuddin (above) replied: “It is around 100 percent.”
He said discussions on seat allocation had been...
Perikatan Nasional secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan has indicated that negotiations with the coalition’s prospective partners for the Malacca state election are nearly complete.
Asked in Parliament today whether talks had reached 98 or 99 percent, Takiyuddin (above) replied: “It is around 100 percent.”
He said discussions on seat allocation had been ongoing for some time, involving both its prospective partners and its own component parties.
“One aspect involves us and the parties working with us, while another involves discussions among our own parties on seat allocation and the necessary preparations that need to be made thoroughly.
“Those discussions are ongoing,” he said at a press conference.
However, Takiyuddin did not name PN’s prospective partners.
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His remarks came two days after BN indicated that it had also identified potential partners for the Malacca polls, with Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki saying negotiations were about 90 percent complete.
Asyraf declined to name the parties involved but said priority would be given to allies that were sincere and would not “stab (BN) in the back”.
Bersatu out of the equation
Takiyuddin ruled out cooperation with Bersatu after the latter announced it would contest the election independently.
“The former party of (Larut MP) Hamzah (Zainudin) has already announced that it wants to go it alone, under its own flower logo.
“So, it is not part of our group,” he said.
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Hamzah (above), the parliamentary opposition leader, was present at the press conference alongside other opposition MPs.
“Whether it is seat allocation, seat negotiations, or the fielding of candidates, it (Bersatu) has nothing to do with us.
“We will each go our own way, while we will be together with our partners in the Malacca contest,” Takiyuddin said.
Election logo in doubt
The split between PN and Bersatu also underlies a legal dispute that has cast doubt over whether the coalition can use its name and logo in the state election.
On Sept 22, the Registrar of Societies (ROS) issued PN a show-cause notice over possible deregistration and ordered it to suspend all coalition activities.
PN subsequently filed for judicial review, seeking to quash both the notice and the suspension order.
On Monday, the Kuala Lumpur High Court granted PN leave to proceed with the judicial review but rejected its application for an interim stay of the suspension order.
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Asked whether PN would consider using PAS’ logo if it could not contest under its own banner, Takiyuddin said the coalition had several contingency plans but declined to disclose them.
“The first option, of course, is the PN logo.
“If that cannot be used, there are other alternatives. But that is part of a strategy that cannot be announced. Otherwise, it would no longer be a strategy.
“If we announce it, it becomes a tragedy,” he quipped.
The Election Commission has set Nov 14 as polling day for the 16th Malacca state election, with candidate nominations on Oct 31.