PORT DICKSON: Fresh differences have surfaced within Perikatan Nasional ahead of the Negri Sembilan election, with coalition chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar maintaining that its electoral cooperation arrangements were approved by the coalition’s supreme council.
He said he had been aware of the arrangements from the outset and had given his consent in his capacity as Perikatan chairman.
“It was also finalised and approved during the coalition’s supreme council meeting today (yesterday),” Ahmad Samsuri said in a statement.
He added that the meeting had endorsed the seat allocation arrangements involving PAS, Parti Wawasan Negara, Gerakan and MIPP for the Negri Sembilan polls.
“The use of the Perikatan logo by all its candidates was also agreed upon,” Ahmad Samsuri said.
His remarks came after Bersatu, a component party of Perikatan, announced it would contest the state election under its own logo instead of the coalition’s banner.
Party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the move was prompted by PAS pursuing cooperation with Barisan Nasional without prior discussion within the coalition.
He said the Bersatu supreme council, which met on Wednesday, had expressed regret over what it described as PAS’ unilateral decision to work with Barisan in the state election.
Muhyiddin argued that the move ran counter to Perikatan’s role as a political coalition that has been positioned as an alternative to both Barisan and Pakatan Harapan.
The latest dispute adds to the growing tensions between Bersatu and PAS, after the Islamist party announced last month that it was ending political cooperation with Bersatu.
The cracks were also visible during the recently concluded Johor election, during which the two parties had held separate candidate announcement ceremonies.
