KUALA LUMPUR, August 7 — Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has called upon voters in Negeri Sembilan to throw their support behind the PN coalition in the upcoming state elections on August 12. Muhyiddin asserted that the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition is currently facing significant challenges, with only Umno contesting the elections, marking a significant departure from previous contests where BN was fully represented by MCA and MIC.
During a ceramah in Jempol, Negeri Sembilan, Muhyiddin pointed out that PN’s contest was not against BN as a whole, but rather against Umno, led by BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. He emphasized that the absence of MCA and MIC from the election, who opted not to participate but would assist in the campaign, signifies a shift in BN’s unity. In his speech, Muhyiddin urged Umno members to support PN, stating that Umno’s alliance with former political nemesis DAP is a necessary move to “protect” Zahid, who is currently facing 47 charges of money laundering, criminal breach of trust, and corruption.
“He is willing to sacrifice his party to protect his position,” Muhyiddin claimed of Zahid. Muhyiddin, who is also the president of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, further revealed that PN declined to form the government with the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition after GE15 due to the inability of its component parties to work with DAP, as there was no common ground. During another ceramah at Felda Jelai in Tampin, Muhyiddin highlighted the fragmented state of Umno, attributing it to Zahid’s decision to form an alliance with DAP, a party that was historically despised by Umno.
The former prime minister emphasized that the current alliance between Umno and DAP is a departure from Umno’s long-standing stance against the latter. He noted that the Umno of today is not the same party as when he was its deputy president, adding that the alignment with DAP occurred due to the involvement of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Muhyiddin’s calls to support PN come amid a shifting political landscape in Negeri Sembilan and emphasize the importance of voters’ choices in the upcoming state elections.
