MELAKA: Pakatan Harapan has ruled out an alliance with Bersatu in the coming Melaka state election, saying a recent dinner between their leaders was a gesture of courtesy rather than a step towards an electoral pact.
Melaka Pakatan deputy chairman Khoo Poay Tiong said the coalition would retain its existing partners and would not cooperate with Bersatu for the state election.
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"There will be no external political parties joining the coalition during the Melaka polls.
"We will maintain the current partners in Pakatan," he told a press conference outside the Melaka Sentral bus terminal here on Wednesday (Sept 30).
Khoo, who is also state DAP chairman, said Pakatan representatives attended the dinner on Monday (Sept 28) after receiving an invitation from Bersatu.
"It is Malaysian culture to attend an event when invited, and nothing more than that," he said, adding that willingness to meet leaders from other parties should not be mistaken for an agreement to contest the election together.
"If anyone wants to work with us, we are willing to listen, but it does not mean we have a pact," said Kota Melaka MP.
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Khoo said Bersatu representatives had also approached him and he had agreed to meet them, adding that it was unfair to portray this as evidence of an election deal.
He said politicians could engage with other parties, but there were clear boundaries when it came to forming electoral alliances.
The dinner sparked speculation about possible cooperation between Pakatan and Bersatu in the polls.
Among those present were Melaka PKR acting chief Adam Adli Abdul Halim, state Amanah chairman Datuk Ashraf Mukhlis Minghat, Bersatu information chief Datuk Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz and Melaka Bersatu election director Datuk Seri Mohamad Ali Mohamad.
Tun Faisal subsequently described the gathering as an opportunity for party representatives to get acquainted and exchange views.
Meanwhile, Khoo said Pakatan had finalised its candidate list for the state election.
"The announcement will be made collectively by all component parties very soon," he said.
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On the Tun Teja pedestrian bridge, Khoo questioned a RM2mil maintenance contract which he said had been awarded to a company in March, barely a year after the upgraded structure was inaugurated.
He urged the state government to disclose the scope of the work and justify what he described as excessive maintenance costs.
The bridge, which connects Melaka Sentral with nearby hypermarkets along Jalan Tun Razak, was inaugurated on Feb 21 last year following an upgrading project costing approximately RM8mil.
Its price tag had previously drawn criticism from then state Opposition leader Dr Mohd Yadzil Yaakub, who questioned the expenditure and argued that the bridge was used mainly by foreigners.
