Loke says Pakatan-BN rivalry in state polls won’t derail federal unity government

KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) can remain partners in the federal government despite facing each other in state elections, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said.

In an interview with Singapore-based media organisation CNA, Loke acknowledged that campaigning against one another in Johor and Negeri Sembilan had inevitably strained relations between the two coalitions, but said both sides remained committed to preserving the federal government.

“It’s a lie to say that there’s no impact at all, but we have to keep it professional,” he said.

PH and BN have governed together at the federal level since the 2022 general election, but continue to contest against each other in several state elections, creating an unusual political arrangement in which governing partners become electoral rivals.

The latest test comes ahead of the August 1 Negeri Sembilan state election, where both coalitions are fielding candidates against one another despite working together in Putrajaya.

Loke said political competition at the state level had not prevented leaders from cooperating in government.

“We still attend meetings just as usual. I just came up from a meeting (where) I was seated in the middle between the president and the deputy president of Umno. So we try to keep it as professional as possible to keep the government intact,” he said.

Even so, Loke said both coalitions remained committed to maintaining the unity administration, noting that BN chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had publicly pledged to support the government until the end of its term regardless of the outcome of the state elections.

He added that the current arrangement should not be taken as an indication of how PH and BN would approach the next general election, saying that decision would only be made when Parliament is dissolved.

“Whether or not we’ll go into the next election as a unity bloc or as a separate coalition, of course, that is something to be decided by the respective coalitions when Parliament is dissolved,” Loke said.

Malaysia must hold its 16th general election by February 2028, although BN’s strong performances in recent state elections have fuelled speculation over whether Anwar could seek an earlier mandate.