MELAKA, November 4, 2026 – Bersatu did not attend Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) seat allocation talks before fielding candidates against the coalition in the 16th Melaka State Election, PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said, adding that he believes the party will eventually seek cooperation with Pakatan Harapan (PH).
Speaking to reporters after attending the Ceramah Kelompok UDM Pantai Cheng on the night of November 3, Tuan Ibrahim said Bersatu had been invited to take part in the coalition’s discussions on seat distribution ahead of the election but did not send any representatives, according to reports by the New Straits Times.
“When we held the seat allocation meeting, we invited Bersatu, but they did not attend. They did not attend and then fielded candidates against PN candidates,” he said.
He was responding to remarks by Bersatu vice-president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu that the party remained part of PN. Tuan Ibrahim questioned Bersatu’s commitment to the coalition, citing its complaint to the Registrar of Societies (RoS) seeking PN’s deregistration.
“If they are still part of PN, they should not have lodged a report seeking to deregister the coalition. How can a component party lodge a complaint with the RoS to deregister PN and then claim that it is still part of the coalition? That is not right,” he said, adding that the dispute over Bersatu’s position within PN would ultimately be decided by the coalition’s Supreme Council.
Tuan Ibrahim also said he believed there were already signs of what he described as symbolic cooperation between Bersatu and PH, although the extent of any potential alliance remained uncertain. He said Bersatu’s decision to field candidates against PN component parties in several constituencies strengthened his view that the party was heading in that direction.
“I believe there is already some form of symbolic cooperation because that is the direction they are heading. Bersatu cannot possibly survive on its own,” he said. “The only question is how receptive PH will be towards Bersatu.” He cited the Negeri Sembilan state election, where he said Bersatu had lost its deposits in all the state constituencies it contested.
Bersatu has given a different account of the seat talks. Before nomination day, Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali told Sinar that the party, which he described as a legitimate PN member, had been denied the right to be involved in discussions on the Melaka election. Ahmad Faizal said on November 4 that Bersatu still regards itself as part of PN and that any differences should be resolved through discussions between the party leaderships. He also said Bersatu had issued no instruction to its grassroots to back PH candidates, although it appreciated PH’s willingness to support its candidates in seats PH is not contesting.
According to the New Straits Times, Bersatu and PH face each other in three seats, Ayer Keroh, Klebang and Pengkalan Batu, while Bersatu is also up against PN allies Wawasan in Bemban and Gerakan in Ayer Keroh. Barisan Nasional is contesting the election alongside PAS and its allies, including Parti Wawasan Negara and Gerakan.
Separately, Tuan Ibrahim said he was satisfied with the progress of the campaign, particularly the cooperation between Barisan Nasional and PN. He said he had met Election Commission monitors, whose feedback was that campaigning had generally proceeded smoothly without serious incidents, apart from minor complaints involving party flags.
Polling for the Melaka State Election is on November 14, 2026, with early voting on November 10.
Sources: New Straits Times, New Straits Times, Sinar Daily
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