MELAKA: Melaka Barisan Nasional is keeping its cards close to its chest ahead of the state election, expected to be held in October or early November.
Its chairman Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh declined to reveal the coalition's electoral strategy.
He also refused to confirm whether the state Barisan would replicate the solo contest formula adopted in the Johor state election, saying any decision would be announced at the appropriate time.
"I will answer that when the right day and time comes," he said on Monday (July 13).
Asked whether discussions had already taken place with any political parties ahead of the state polls, Ab Rauf again remained tight-lipped, choosing instead to reply with a metaphor.
"I prefer to say that I will harvest the fruit when it is ripe," he said.
Ab Rauf who is also the Melaka Chief Minister, however, acknowledged that Barisan's commanding victory in the Johor state election had sent a strong signal of changing voter sentiment.
He said the outcome reflected growing political maturity among the electorate, with voters no longer easily swayed by campaigns built on hatred, provocation or slander.
"Johor presented an outcome that many did not expect where every political party was confident it could capture Johor through its own approach, but the election results proved otherwise.
"The democratic political landscape demonstrated by the people of Johor reflects a level of political maturity that has moved away from the politics of hatred," he said.
Ab Rauf said the development should serve as a reflection of Melaka's political landscape, with voters assessing the government based on its performance and tangible achievements rather than perceptions shaped through social media.
"I am confident the local voters are capable of recognising that the current government's work has delivered positive results for the state's economy, tourism, investment and the well-being of its people," he added.
