00:00Political analysts say Bersatu's decision to contest 24 seats in the Negeri Sembilan election
00:06could split Malay votes, giving Pakatan Harapan an advantage in marginal constituencies.
00:13University Malaya analysts Awang Azman Pawi and Taufik Yaakob said Bersatu was trying to
00:19prove it remained politically relevant after falling out with PAS. However, they warned that
00:26the party could end up as a spoiler in several constituencies rather than the outright winner.
00:32Awang Azman told FMT that Bersatu is using the Negeri Sembilan polls to test the strength of
00:38its brand, retain grassroots support and show it could still wield influence without PAS.
00:44Bersatu remains a perikatan national component but is contesting under its own logo, creating
00:51multi-cornered fights across the state. Of the 24 seats it is contesting, 10 are held by Barisan
00:58National, 9 by PH and 5 by PN. The analysts said Bersatu support overlaps with PAS, PN and Malay voters
01:07who lean towards BN. That means even a few thousand votes could change the outcome in closely fought seats.
01:15Taufik said the split could hurt PN most in Serting, Paroi, Bagan Pinang and Gemas where
01:21clashes between Bersatu and PN could set the stage for a PH win. BN also faces risks in seats such
01:30as
01:30Juaseh, Kota and Seri Menanti which it won by narrow margins in 2023. Awang Azman said PH only needs to
01:40retain its core support as anti-PH Malay votes are likely to be divided among BN, PN and Bersatu.
01:48However, both analysts said any PH advantage would still depend on voter turnout and whether
01:54BN, PN supporters vote strategically. Amadeep Gill, FMT.
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