INCUMBENT assemblymen in Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) are likely to be allowed to defend their seats in the state elections, said political analysts.

Such a strategy has been proven to work in the past, they said.

International Islamic University of Malaysia’s Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar said PH has used the strategy to good effect.

“This has been PH’s formula where candidates who win their seats get to defend them in the next elections. And PH is extending this formula to its new partner, BN.

“For this new partnership to succeed, the components must agree on this strategy,” the political science assistant professor told The Malaysian Insight.

On Sunday, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said assemblymen in PH and BN should be allowed to defend their seats in the state elections.

Loke said this should serve as the main guideline for the seat negotiation process.  

University of Tasmania’s Professor of Asian Studies James Chin said PH will probably stick to the rule.

He said the rule will also simplify the seat negotiations between PH and BN.

“It makes it easier because they would only need to negotiate for seats that don’t belong to PH or BN,” he said.

Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said BN may not be receptive to the idea.

“I think (what Loke said) was merely a suggestion. What DAP suggests could be hard for BN to accept but there is still time for discussion,” he said.

“DAP is probably confident of support in Chinese-majority constituencies.

“But PH and BN must find a balance as the distribution of seats must also consider MIC, MCA, Amanah, and Muda,” he said.

Last month, Amanah central committee member Sany Hamzan said PH would defend all 40 state seats it won in Selangor in the 2018 general election.

Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu must hold elections by September. –  February 22, 2023.