Anwar alleges BN, PN deep in post-GE15 partnership talks

KUALA LUMPUR: Senior Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) leaders are already negotiating a post-election pact in anticipation of neither coalition securing a majority a er Nov 19, Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim alleged yesterday.

According to Berita Harian, Anwar said the two supposed rivals were beyond the stage of feeling each other out, and were actively discussing the possibility of reuniting to form the next government.

Both the BN and PN coalitions were part of the Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob-led administration.

“What I know is they are meeting. PAS, Bersatu people have met with Hishammuddin and Tok Mat,” he said referring to Umno’s Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

“They are negotiating because they know they are trailing. So, why not just come clean with Malaysians?”

Earlier, PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan appeared to suggest this when he said BN was his party’s first port of call for a coalition government a er the 15th general election.

However, he was forced to walk this back by expressing “full confidence” that PN could win GE15 independently, a er coalition chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the former was not authorised to discuss such ma ers.

Muhyiddin previously declared BN his coalition’s primary rival, but the two have been allied in successive federal administrations prior to the general election, first under Muhyiddin and, subsequently, under Ismail Sabri.

Aside from the obvious example of Putrajaya, the two have also been cooperating as the Sabah state government since 2020, albeit behind the mask of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah ruling coalition there.

Anwar pointed out that their public display of rivalry was purely a façade.

“So, it’s all just talk... the question of an insult here, a barb there, of rejecting Umno, of Umno rejecting PAS and Bersatu... this is all just theatre,” he said.

BN, PN, and PH are the three main contenders for the Nov 19 election in which none is expected to be able to secure the 112 seats needed for a simple majority victory on its own. — Malay Mail