This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on August 7, 2023 - August 13, 2023

SINCE nomination day on July 29, Prime Minister and head of Pakatan Harapan (PH) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has visited Negeri Sembilan no fewer than three times. The frequent trips indicate that the Barisan Nasional-PH (BN-PH) alliance is not letting its guard down and is defending its turf, which used to be a battleground for the two coalitions.

It is worth noting that neither PAS nor Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) has ever won a seat in Negeri Sembilan’s state legislative assembly. The state has about 864,425 voters, 57.6% of whom are Malay.

Two high-ranking party leaders — Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, who is defence minister, and DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook, who is transport minister — are contesting in the state polls.

Negeri Sembilan is considered a stronghold for BN. Indeed, it is the only state in which BN won a majority in the 15th general election (GE15), winning five parliamentary seats. PH garnered the remaining three seats.

There are 36 seats up for grabs in the upcoming state polls.

In Kuala Pilah,  Anwar told voters that the BN-PH alliance was beyond a marriage of convenience, stressing that the unity government was formed to ensure political stability.

However, there are views that the BN-PH collaboration may not go down well with hardcore Umno supporters, particularly those residing in the eastern part of Negeri Sembilan.

Some voters reveal that the support-BN sentiment might swing as PH leaders are not politicians they support. And that is likely to open the door for the opposition to make inroads in the state.

It is worth noting that there are Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) settlers and Felcra members here, the majority of whom have traditionally been Umno supporters.

A Felcra settler acknowledges that while some of them are unhappy with BN’s collaboration with PH due to the strong presence of DAP, her loyalty remains with BN.

“My grandmother said BN is parti keramat (sacred party) for the Malays. We have to stay loyal,” she tells The Edge in Felcra Lakai in Pertang. She points out that food prices did not go up much when BN was in power.

In Sungai Lui, which is part of the Jelebu parliamentary constituency, 

FELDA settlers make up about 80% of the 20,000 voters, according to Umno Youth chief and BN Youth exco for Sungai Lui Hazwan Mohd Nor.

In 2018, BN’s Mohd Razi Mohd Ali retained the seat, commanding 62.6% of the votes. However, BN’s share of the votes for Sungai Lui declined to 55.4% in GE15 after Perikatan Nasional (PN) made inroads into the state.

The BN-PH collaboration seems to have made the campaigning efforts awkward. For instance, at a BN ceramah session in Lenggeng, there were fewer than five people donning the red PH shirts. Likewise at the Kuala Pilah rally, only a handful were wearing BN’s notable “blue shirts”.

When asked whether the BN-PH factor could swing the votes in Negeri Sembilan, BN candidate for Lenggeng Mohd Asna Amin believed otherwise, insisting that the voters in Lenggeng, particularly where he is contesting, believe in the unity government.

“Even the 7,000 voters who voted for Parti Amanah Negara’s candidate in 2018 also said they would vote for BN this time around,” he tells The Edge in Kampung Pantai, in the outskirts of Seremban.

The Jelebu parliamentary constituency is important to both PH and BN as it is where two of their high-ranking party leaders are contesting. Loke is PH’s candidate in Chennah, while Umno Negeri Sembilan liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias is standing in Pertang.

The Rantau state seat will be one of the most watched, where Mohamad Hasan, fondly known as Tok Mat, will defend the seat for the fifth time. He was the state’s menteri besar from 2004 to 2018. He is in a straight fight with Rembau PAS deputy president Rozmal Malakan for the seat.

The challenge among BN supporters there is obviously to accept the unity government. “Before this campaigning period, it was hard to convince them that we [BN] have to join hands with DAP. But now, I think they have slowly accepted this,” says Rahim Daud (not his real name) in Kampung Sega in Rantau.

Noting that Tok Mat is a strong political figure in Negeri Sembilan, Sarimah Daud, a businesswoman in Kampung Sawah, says she will continue to vote for him. “Unless BN fields another candidate, perhaps I would vote for PN, because this country needs a change.”

Sarimah says the campaign vibe for BN is more vibrant than that of PN, given that the latter’s candidate is the underdog. “The PN candidate should meet the people here. Because if he is not here today, how would I know if he will be here for the people if he wins.”

Negeri Sembilan seems to be the one state that PN has difficulty gaining support. 

Realising its rivals’ strong grassroots support in Negeri Sembilan, PN is taking a door-to-door approach to introduce the coalition to households and garner votes. Door-to-door visits are commonly used by election candidates, particularly in rural areas.

For the Klawang state seat, first-time candidate from PN, Danni Rais, who will face his cousin and incumbent Datuk Bakri Sawir from PH, is going to the ground to meet voters.

“As a first-time candidate, I have to introduce myself to the residents here. They may know of PN, but they don’t know the candidate,” he tells The Edge.

Having the backing of his father, who was member of parliament for Jelebu from 1999 to 2013, could be an advantage for him, especially among voters who are still on the fence.

“We are with PN because Rais Yatim did a lot when he was a minister. He did not forget about people in Klawang,” says Hafiz (not his real name) when met in Klawang.

Negeri Sembilan was the one state not impacted by the Green Wave in GE15. Will the incumbents be able to defend their turf at the upcoming state polls? Their voters’ loyalty will be tested, given the unexpected partnership between BN and PH.

THERE have been rumours that Negeri Sembilan Umno liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias, a familiar name in the state, returned to state politics because he is eyeing the state’s menteri besar (MB) post. The veteran politician, however, declined to say much on the candidate for the post, telling The Edge that his focus now is to ensure that all the electoral machinery work hard and the party gets the mandate from the rakyat.

“After the election and when we get the results, then only the top leaders of our parties from BN (Barisan Nasional) and PH (Pakatan Harapan) will decide who will be the MB,” says Jalaluddin.

Last month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that incumbent Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun would remain MB of Negeri Sembilan should BN-PH win the state election, quashing speculation that Jalaluddin is tipped to hold the state’s top post.

Some quarters view this as another litmus test for the BN-PH partnership, as the incumbent MB is from PH.

Nonetheless, Jalaluddin is confident that BN-PH will be able to defend their Negeri Sembilan seats in the upcoming polls. He does not see the political agreement between PH and BN affecting support in the state.

“During GE15 (15th general election), the country saw an unprecedented event with no single political coalition winning a simple majority to form the government. This shows that the people have differences. As such, our leader has decided for us to form a unity government to ensure stability and growth of this country,” says Jalaluddin.

As a matter of fact, he believes that the agreement between PH and BN will give the coalition an advantage in defending Negeri Sembilan in the upcoming state polls.

“This is the only point they [Perikatan Nasional (PN)] have against us. They want to play with the people’s emotion because we [Umno] are working with DAP to paint a negative perception of BN.

“But both PH and BN have been the state government for Negeri Sembilan and people understand our policies and the work that we [BN-PH] have put in to develop the state,” he stresses, adding that he wants to make Negeri Sembilan the “second Klang Valley” should BN-PH maintain their hold in the state.

Furthermore, he disagrees with PN’s rhetoric on the need to have an opposition in the state. He says having representatives from different coalitions serve in the unity government is already sufficient in terms of checks and balances.

“But for me, the checks and balances are already happening in the unity government. I don’t think we need to change the political landscape in Negeri Sembilan.

“With that in mind, I believe BN-PH could win all the seats we are contesting in Negeri Sembilan,” he tells The Edge.

Jalaluddin, who is also Jelebu MP, is the BN candidate for the Pertang seat against PAS’s Amirudin Hassan in the upcoming state election. Jalaluddin won the Jelebu parliamentary seat in GE15 last November.

PERIKATAN Nasional’s (PN) campaign tactic in Negeri Sembilan is to go from door-to-door to meet voters.

Negeri Sembilan PN chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu believes that as the underdog in the state, which has about 864,425 voters, these visits will help the coalition garner support.

“I think now people can see that we are giving a good fight,” Ahmad Faizal tells The Edge.

The door-to-door strategy is traditionally Barisan Nasional’s (BN) strong suit during election campaigns.

“So far, the people have been very welcoming. When we knock on their doors and they see the PN logo, they welcome us to the extent that we are having drinks with them as they talk about their problems and needs.

“In the past, when you were with the opposition party, people usually shut their doors. Things have changed a lot,” says the PN deputy chairman, adding that there has been increasing acceptance of the PN coalition.

Ahmad Faizal is not contesting in the upcoming polls but he has an uphill task, which is to increase the popularity of PN in Negeri Sembilan — the only state in which the coalition won no parliamentary seat in the 15th general election held about nine months ago.

Ahmad Faizal lost to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the Tambun parliamentary seat in Perak with a 3,637-vote margin during GE15.

“People were making fun of me when I was contesting in Tambun against Anwar. But I went to the ground and did a lot of work. Although I lost, it was by a small margin,” he says.

While Ahmad Faizal admits it is tough for PN to make inroads into Negeri Sembilan, he sees an opportunity on the horizon, as Pakatan Harapan (PH) joining hands with BN is a move that is unpopular with Malay voters.

He is tight-lipped about the potential candidate for the menteri besar post, should the coalition wrest control of the state.

On economic development, Ahmad Faizal reckons that PH could have done more to develop Negeri Sembilan, considering the state’s proximity to the Klang Valley and Selangor, and its abundance of natural resources.

“I don’t see the current government exploiting the potential of Negeri Sembilan to raise the livelihood of the people here.

“A lot of people who live in Negeri Sembilan are working outside the state. It shouldn’t be that way,” he says.

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