THE decision on whether Barisan Nasional (BN) will “merge” with other parties if it is unable to secure a simple majority in parliament to form the new government will only be made after the general election.

Caretaker prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said any future plans, especially on the matter, will depend on the outcome of the polls.

“Let’s see the results first and decide later. We’ll cross the bridge when we get there,” he told reporters after the opening ceremony of the Malay Contractors Convention 3.0 and the 43rd annual general meeting of the Malay Contractors Association Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur today.

“InsyaAllah, the decision we will make will be in the best interest of the country. What’s important is for us to have a stable government.”

Ismail said this when asked about the possibility of BN forging an alliance with other parties such as PAS to form the government if it is unable to secure a majority of parliamentary seats at the polls.

On Sunday, BN deputy chairman Mohamad Hasan was reported as saying that the coalition must win more than 112 seats in the upcoming general election to form a government.

Ismail, who is also Umno vice-president, also said BN is still in the midst of completing the seat allocation process among its component parties as well as parties deemed Friends of BN.

“We are looking into all aspects and the final decision will be made by consensus like always,” he said.

“BN now only has four component parties (Umno, MIC, MCA and PBRS), so it should be easier to discuss and we will have a decision soon.” – Bernama, October 18, 2022.