“Did PH Fail to Read the Signals on the Ground until Becoming Confident of Winning Two-Thirds in the Negeri Sembilan PRN?” – PAS

KUALA LUMPUR: PAS has hit back at DAP’s claim that Pakatan Harapan (PH) is capable of securing a two-thirds majority in the Negeri Sembilan state election (PRN) this coming Sunday.

Instead, PAS Assistant Secretary-General II, Mohd Syahir Che Sulaiman, described the prediction as being based on inaccurate information or simply gambling on luck.

He, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bachok, also questioned whether PH had failed to read the signals on the ground, given that current developments were said to be unfavourable to PH.

“I am not sure where the confidence of PH Deputy Chairman and DAP Secretary-General Anthony Loke (regarding the expectation of PH winning a two-thirds majority in Negeri Sembilan) comes from.

“Based on observations and current developments, my prediction is the opposite. The number 23 is more likely to be the winning figure for Perikatan Nasional (PN)-Barisan Nasional (BN).

“To Loke, I advise: ‘Be careful what you wish for’,” he said in a statement today.

Yesterday, Loke was reported to have said that PH is targeting to win at least 23 of the 36 seats in the Negeri Sembilan PRN to secure a larger mandate and form a stable state government.

In the 15th Negeri Sembilan PRN, PH won 17 State Legislative Assembly (DUN) seats and required at least two more seats to obtain a simple majority to form the state government.

Meanwhile, Mohd Syahir said the PN-BN understanding was forged to avoid overlapping seats and to open up brighter opportunities to defend the 19 incumbent seats.

He said the understanding was also aimed at increasing the potential for both coalitions to capture four marginal seats, namely Sikamat, Ampangan, Pilah, and Klawang.

He said that if this momentum continues, the target of winning 23 Malay-majority seats in Negeri Sembilan is not impossible, driven by the unity formula (penyatuan ummah) which is increasingly being accepted by voters.

“This number 23 is highly significant – just one seat short of PN-BN obtaining a two-thirds majority in Negeri Sembilan. I am more optimistic about this projection on the PN-BN side, which is 23 seats or a two-thirds majority.

“This can be achieved if MCA, MIC, GERAKAN, and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) manage to break into some of the 13 non-Malay majority seats won by PH previously,” he said.

Elaborating further, Mohd Syahir said PAS and PN are not taught to play with numbers or gamble on luck, but rather must strive and submit to Allah SWT.

“Returning to the number games on the DAP’s side, that is their right and approach, which we respect. However, we are not taught to play with numbers or gamble on luck.

“We are required to always strive, and then surrender everything to the Almighty,” he said.

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