Decisions on seat allocations final, no further negotiations - Tok Mat

BAYAN LEPAS- All parties within the Barisan Nasional (BN) must accept the decisions to be made by the BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) Presidential Council regarding the allocation of seats for the upcoming state elections.

BN Deputy Chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan stressed that the decisions made at the Presidential Council level would be final and not open to further negotiations.

Mohamad said the seat allocations would be announced within two to three days.

"We have already discussed the seat allocations within the BN Presidential Council, and the final decision will be announced in the next two to three days.

"The Presidential Council will issue a statement, and there will be no further negotiations regarding the number of seats to be allocated," he said.

Mohamad emphasised the importance of all state-level parties accepting the decisions to avoid prolonged disputes that could hinder the election process.

"It is crucial that we accept and respect the decisions made.

"If we fail to do so, it will lead to dissatisfaction and hinder our ability to effectively manage the elections. Our primary objective is to secure victory," added Mohamad prior to a closed-door meeting with the leaders of Umno Penang on Monday.

Mohamad, who is also Umno Deputy President expressed satisfaction with the progress of BN's preparations for the upcoming state elections in all six states.

"We are making good progress with our preparations, considering that we are aware of the need for state elections.

“Since the previous 15th General Election (GE15), the election machinery at both the BN and Umno levels has been in motion.

"We constantly keep our election machinery active."

He acknowledged that there was still room for improvement, particularly in areas where BN would be contesting.

"We are content with the work carried out by our machinery so far. However, we will focus on enhancing our efforts, especially in the areas where we anticipate contests.

“Our state-level election machinery will soon be launched, reaching down to the grassroots level to ensure our success in the state elections," he said.

Mohamad highlighted the ongoing coordination between BN and PH in aligning their election machinery, emphasising their preparedness to face opponents in all six states.

"While there may not be a specific wave at present, we must strengthen ourselves.

"With a robust organisation and efficient machinery, we can overcome any challenges that come our way.

"Waves come and go, but by fortifying our party and machinery, we can weather them and push back," Mohamad pointed out.

Aside from Penang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu would also hold state elections.

With its 40 State Legislative Assembly seats, Penang witnessed PH win 37 seats in the 2018 General Election, during which Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) was still a part of PH.