PERIKATAN Nasional and Barisan Nasional should put aside their differences and start working together if they want to wrest Penang from Pakatan Harapan, said Afif Bahardin.

The Seberang Jaya assemblyman, who left PKR to join Bersatu in June, said he is confident that the federal ruling pact can win all the Malay seats and some of the mixed seats in Penang.

“I hope all parties in PN and BN will sit at the same table to strategise our chances in Penang.

“I am sure if we work together, we can win up to 16 Malay-majority state seats in Penang.

“We can then seek cooperation from other parties to form the new state government.

“We also need to identify our chief ministerial candidate to head this government after GE15,” Afif told The Malaysian Insight.

PN and BN must put forward young and capable candidates for the next general election, he said.

“We must have candidates who are winnable, charismatic, capable and with experience so that we will have the confidence of the people.

“We must look for the best candidate for both the state and federal seats. It is time to set aside hierarchy and protocols and time to put out young candidates.

“Let’s not make the mistake of putting the same old faces. Let us give chance to the new faces to offer new leadership,” he said.

Afif’s reminder comes at a time when the core parties in the PN-BN pact – Umno, PAS and Bersatu – are facing troubles over political influence and positions, culminating in tense seat talks to face the next elections.

Umno is especially riled that it has been sidelined by the smaller and newer Bersatu, a party formed by defectors.

Both Bersatu and PAS are members of PN, which formed the federal government in February with the support of Umno and its BN partners.

Umno and PAS are also part of the Muafakat Nasional pact, formed to capture the Malay support.

Only island-centric policies

Afif, who has been the Seberang Jaya rep since 2013, supported former PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali’s move to back Muhyiddin Yassin to form a new federal government to replace PH.

He said it’s up to the Bersatu’s leadership to decide if he should defend the Seberang Jaya state seat.

There is an urgent need to change the government in Penang, which has been in the hands of DAP since 2008, he said, adding that the state policies are old and concentrated only on the island.

“Focus must also be given to Seberang Perai. The development programmes under the present government is still Penang-centric.

“We need to develop Seberang Perai with the cooperation of Kedah and Perak.

“For three terms now, Penang has failed to have any form of understanding with the federal government… there are many outstanding problems in the state, including the water and airport expansion issues.

“This is why we need to have the political will to change in Penang.”

Penang has 40 state seats, of which 33 are in the hands of PH. There are 15 Malay-majority state seats, most of which are on the mainland. – December 31, 2020.