KUALA PILAH, June 13 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) should not rely on the weaknesses of its opponents but instead focus on its own strengths in facing the upcoming state elections, said PH Communications Director Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
He said the leadership’s directive was clear in that the party machinery must be strengthened based on its own capabilities without depending on external factors.
“The weakness of our opponents does not mean we are strong. Therefore, the directive from the leadership is that the machinery and teams within Pakatan Harapan must be strong on their own.
“That is the philosophy we uphold and, of course, we will assess the political dynamics from time to time. But the foundation remains Pakatan Harapan,” he told reporters after officiating the AI@NADI programme at the National Information Dissemination Centre (NADI) Seri Menanti, Dewan Kampung Terachi, Tanjung Ipoh, here today.
He was responding to a question on PH’s confidence in facing the upcomimg state elections, particularly in Negeri Sembilan, taking into account the breakdown in political ties between Bersatu and PAS.
Meanwhile, Fahmi, who is also PKR Information Chief, said the party’s communications team must move swiftly to ensure the coalition’s message is effectively conveyed to voters.
He said party machinery must campaign properly, in a healthy manner and based on facts, while recognising that voters today obtain information through various channels.
“Not only through the mainstream media but also social media. Therefore, they must have the ability to engage voters who obtain information not only through face-to-face interactions but also through newer platforms,” he said.
The Communications Minister said PH’s seat distribution negotiations for the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections had been finalised, and the candidate screening process was now underway.
He expects PH candidates to be announced fairly soon, around a week before nomination day.
The Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly, which has 36 seats, was officially dissolved by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun on June 5 after obtaining the consent of the Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.
The Election Commission (EC) has set polling day for the Negeri Sembilan state election on Aug 1, with nomination day on July 18 and early voting on July 28.
In the 2023 Negeri Sembilan state election, Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) formed the state government after winning 31 of the 36 state seats.
PH secured 17 seats while BN won 14 seats, whereas Perikatan Nasional (PN) captured five seats.
Negeri Sembilan became the second state to dissolve its legislative assembly to pave the way for a state election after Johor did so on June 1. — Bernama
