THEY may sit side by side in federal government but Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) will be battling each other in the Malacca elections, a showdown that observers said could be the first of more such contests in polls.

They noted the two partner coalitions appeared to be able to work together on the federal level while disagreeing on som issues when it came to state matters.

Analysts said the downside to this is that any government the two parties should put together at the end of the Malacca polls would be fragile and constantly under pressure of expectations.

BN and PN will go head to head in all 28 seats after Umno refused to work with its splinter party Bersatu and its PN allies, which include PAS.

The feud between Umno and Bersatu started when the former decided to withdraw support for former prime ministr Muhyiddin Yassin, who heads Bersatu, causing the collapse of the PN government.

Muhyiddin was replaced by Umno’s Ismail Sabri Yaakob, with the conditional support of Bersatu.

Universiti Sains Malaysia political science lecturer Dr Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid said political dominance of one party for more than 50 years was the reason for the power struggle between BN and PN.

He said one positive thing to come from the rivalry between BN and PN was checks and balances.

“Working together but fighting each other in elections is not against the law. But it shows the fragility of those in power,” Fauzi said.

“The same scenario happened in the 19880s when the Sarawak Native People’s Party led by Dr Amar Leo Moggie was not in agreement with Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu but at the federal level they had an understanding.

“The same is happening today between Umno and Bersatu. These two can’t stand to see each other’s faces but they are in one government. Maybe Ismail Sabri wanted to cooperate in the elections but his party said no.

“For 60 years, only one dominant coalition was in power and it was brought down in 2018 when Pakatan Harapan took over. The Malacca polls is testing grounds for GE15.

“What happens in Malacca will serve as an example of what’s to come for the political parties.”

The Malacca elections are set for November 20. Monday was nomination day. Campaigning is now underway with strict Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place.

The Election Commission (EC) has announced that the only form of physical campaigning allowed are addresses delivered from a vehicle with the aid of speakers at fixed times and with a police permit.

All forms of physical gathering are banned.

This means there can be no ceramah, no door-to-door visits to canvass for votes, and no walkabouts. 

Candidates and their parties are only allowed to open one operations centre per seat.

Those who violate the rules would be subject to the Elections Offences Act 1954.

This is the first time an election is held after eight months of emergency rule to fight Covid-19.

Iman Research Programme director Badrul Hisham Ismail said Umno and Bersatu are competing to be the big brother in the BN-PN pact.

He said the two parties could hold negotiations over power and positions after the Malacca elections.

“At the end of the day, these two parties will return to each other because each needs the other’s support to stay in power. At the moment, they are trying to determine who the big brother is,” Badrul said.

“Umno cannot go to PKR or DAP for support; the same goes for Bersatu. Now they are fighting each other, going all out, but they will need each other in the end.”

Badrul agreed that the Malacca elections will be a bench test for the general election.

“Even before the general election we are seeing people like Idris Haron, an Umno stalwart, joininging PKR. If Umno wins in Malacca, Bersatu may perhaps tone it down a little bit but if Bersatu wins, it’ll be a different story,” he said.

In the 2018 general election, PH won 15 seats in Malacca and BN,13.

The PH state government, however, collapsed after DAP’s Pengkalan Batu representative Norhizam Hassan Baktee and PKR’s Rembia assemblyman Muhammad Jailani Khamis defected.

Baktee was also one of the four assemblymen who caused the Malacca government to collapse after they declared a loss of confidence in chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali.

The other three were former chief minister Idris Haron, Noor Effandi Ahmad, and Nor Azman Hassan.

Universiti Utara Malaysia Prof Dr Ahmad Marthada Mohamed said BN and PN should be more realistic about their prospects.

Marthada said Umno and Bersatu could never become the government without the other’s support.

“It happened in Kedah when Mukhriz Mahathir was the menteri besar leading a PN government,” he said.

“But in the end, I think they need to be realistic. How can you be the government if no one is backing you?

“BN dominated and ruled for 60 years but today no one has the majority and you need the support of others to rule.” – November 11, 2021.