ALOR GAJAH - Barisan Nasional (BN) is confident there will be no clash with Pas over seats in the Melaka state election following an agreement reached between the two parties, State BN chairman Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh said.
He said the decision to make Pas a strategic partner had been finalised at a high-level meeting yesterday, which also agreed that both sides would work together on campaign activities and issue a joint manifesto.
"Yesterday, we held a high-level meeting and decided that Pas would be our strategic partner. We also agreed that all our campaign activities would be conducted jointly and that we would share a manifesto.
"So I do not think there will be any clash between our candidates, because the situation in Melaka is different from that in Johor and Negeri Sembilan. In Melaka, it is like being married with the marriage solemnised.
"Even if we divorce, there is a formal process," Ab Rauf, who is Melaka Chief Minister, told reporters after officiating at the 2026 Deepavali Festive Aid Presentation for the Masjid Tanah parliamentary constituency here today.
The Election Commission (EC) has set Nov 14 for polling in the Melaka state election, with nomination on Oct 31 and early voting on Nov 10.
Meanwhile, Ab Rauf said the state government would continue assisting those in need, regardless of race or religion, through various welfare initiatives.
He said RM90.55 million had been channelled under the Melaka Sayang Rakyat (MeSRa) welfare assistance programme to more than 42,500 recipients statewide from 2021 to September this year.
For this year’s Deepavali celebrations, he said RM200,000 had been allocated to 1,000 recipients throughout Melaka, including RM36,000 for 180 recipients in the Masjid Tanah parliamentary constituency.
"This assistance is not an election sweetener. The fact that Deepavali falls during the campaign period is coincidental.
"Even if it did not fall during the campaign, we would still provide the assistance because this is part of the Melaka Sayang Rakyat policy," he said.
Ab Rauf said the state government had also allocated more than RM3 million for the Indian and Chinese communities through various forms of assistance, including festive aid and support for houses of worship. - BERNAMA