KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 12): Barisan Nasional (BN) could still win Pahang in the next general election if it goes solo, but only by a narrow margin and with higher risks, said Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.

At the same time, BN could also retain power in the state regardless of whether it partners Perikatan Nasional (PN) or Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the next state election. 

He said this was based on surveys and feedback received by the Pahang Umno chapter as it assessed the state’s political alignment ahead of the 16th general election (GE16).

“If we go solo, we can still win, but the margin would be very narrow and the risk is quite high,” Wan Rosdy, who is also the Pahang menteri besar, said in his winding-up speech at the Umno general assembly on Saturday.

Pahang is currently governed by a coalition comprising BN and PH. BN holds 17 of the 42 elected seats in the state assembly, while PH has eight. The opposition PN also holds 17 seats.

The state assembly has five additional appointed seats.

Wan Rosdy said Pahang BN had also assessed two other options — continuing its cooperation with PH or working with PN.

Cooperation with PN will offer a more comfortable margin, while an alliance with PH could result in BN losing about 15% of Malay support, he said.

Nevertheless, Wan Rosdy said the matter remains under discussion, with the information gathered to be presented to BN president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi before a decision is made.

He said Pahang BN would seek to repeat the coalition’s recent successes in Johor and Negeri Sembilan and maintain the state as a stronghold for Umno and BN.

However, he cautioned that the challenges in GE16 would be different, with voters in each state and constituency likely to make different considerations.

Wan Rosdy also said Umno must enter GE16 with confidence, not by relying on nostalgia for its past, but by offering a more dynamic, future-oriented agenda that is closer to the concerns of the people and more appealing to younger voters.

Read also:
Zahid to Anwar: Call for GE16 or kick BN out from govt
Test PAS' sincerity via state election in its home turf after Melaka polls — Tok Mat
Umno best choice to lead govt without sidelining other races, says party veep
Umno to set up political negotiation committee ahead of GE16 — Asyraf Wajdi