KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man yesterday described the upcoming Negeri Sembilan state election as the start of a “new political alignment” in Malaysia, Berita Harian reported. 

He said Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) decision to field candidates in 11 state constituencies completed the political picture following Umno’s withdrawal of support for the state government.

Speaking at PN’s Negeri Sembilan state election candidate announcement ceremony in Seremban, Tuan Ibrahim said the coalition’s slate complemented Barisan Nasional’s (BN) decision to field candidates in 25 constituencies.

“This state election is an important prelude, a new political alignment for Malaysia. BN announced 25 state seats, but the puzzle was incomplete and we have completed it by announcing candidates in 11 state constituencies,” he said.

Negeri Sembilan voters will go to the polls on August 1 after the state legislative assembly was dissolved following Umno’s withdrawal of support for the state government. Nomination day has been set for July 18, while early voting will take place on July 28.

According to Berita Harian, Tuan Ibrahim also thanked Umno assemblymen for withdrawing their support, describing the move as a courageous decision that had returned the choice to voters.

“I want to thank Umno for declaring its withdrawal of support in Negeri Sembilan, allowing the people of Negeri Sembilan to make their choice in this election.

“This is a brave decision because they have grown tired of PH’s (Pakatan Harapan) administration and the way it has governed Negeri Sembilan,” he said.

Tuan Ibrahim also claimed DAP’s repeated use of the “green wave” narrative to alarm Chinese voters had ultimately backfired.

“We know how DAP has tried to frighten Chinese voters in particular with the image of the ‘Green Wave’, claiming it threatens stability and harmony.

“History has shown that the more they try to scare Chinese voters, the more those voters reject them,” he said.

He claimed DAP had already lost support in Sabah and Johor and expressed confidence that the party would also lose support in the Negeri Sembilan election.

Tuan Ibrahim said voters now had access to a wider range of information and were capable of making up their own minds rather than being swayed by what he described as baseless claims.