SEREMBAN: Negri Sembilan entered a new political chapter as the Barisan Nasional-Perikatan Nasional partnership moved from the campaign trail to government, in what could become the blueprint for a broader alliance ahead of the 16th General Election (GE16).
The election saw Barisan win 18 seats, ahead of Pakatan Harapan’s 11 and Perikatan’s seven, with Bersatu ending the contest empty-handed.
Within Barisan, Umno won 16 seats, MCA secured two while MIC did not win in the two seats it contested.
The successful outing in Chennah and Repah marks a comeback for MCA after a 13-year absence in the Negri Sembilan state assembly. Both MCA and MIC sat out the state polls in 2023.
Within Perikatan, PAS took four seats while its newest coalition member Parti Wawasan Negara won in three areas.
Pakatan’s seats were reduced from 17 to 11 seats, with DAP losing at one of its stronghold – Chennah, where party secretary-general Anthony Loke was the assemblyman since 2013.
In this election, PKR took two seats, DAP (nine) while Amanah lost all the nine seats it contested.
The transition to the new administration began with Datuk Ismail Lasim being sworn in as the new Mentri Besar after the Barisan-Perikatan cooperation secured a combined majority of 25 seats in the 36-member state assembly.
Ismail’s appointment came as a surprise to many.
The seven-term assemblyman has been described as low-profile and reserved, compared to state Umno chief Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias, whose name was earlier bandied as the mentri besar candidate.
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research Dr Azmi Hassan said Ismail’s immediate challenge would be balancing competing expectations within the new administration while delivering on election promises.
“He needs to satisfy not only Perikatan, comprising PAS and Wawasan, but more importantly the different camps within Umno itself,” he said.
Azmi said the new Mentri Besar would also have to reconcile Barisan’s manifesto with Perikatan’s pledges as both sides begin governing together under their new political arrangement.
“Although the coalition has a two-thirds majority, forming the executive council and managing the various interests involved will not be easy,” he said.
He said Ismail would also need to address the ongoing issues surrounding the state’s Adat Perpatih institutions and the Undang.
“I think it’s very critical for the Mentri Besar to find the middle road to it (Adat Perpatih issue). But it can be resolved,” he said.
Barisan and Perikatan leaders have signalled that the partnership would extend beyond Negri Sembilan.
Ahmad Zahid said the understanding would continue into the upcoming Melaka election.
Likewise, PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang described the result as a sign of public support for greater political unity and said the cooperation should be strengthened moving forward.
The election outcome also prompted both reflection and political repositioning among rival parties.
Parti Wawasan president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin declared Bersatu as no longer politically relevant after it failed to win a single seat and invited former members of the party to join Wawasan instead.
Pakatan, meanwhile, said it would review the election outcome after attributing its defeat to a campaign dominated by identity politics rather than policy issues.
DAP will assess the result, saying it would listen to voters’ concerns and work to regain public confidence.
With the election over, observers said attention now turns to whether the Barisan-Perikatan partnership can prove itself in government – a test that could resonate well beyond Negri Sembilan.
They said a stable administration in Negri Sembilan could become a model for GE16.
“If Barisan-Perikatan can deliver a stable, competent and inclusive government, the Negri Sembilan formula could become a model for GE16.
“If their cooperation is driven only by the desire to defeat Pakatan, internal contradictions will eventually emerge,” said political analyst Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub.
