SEREMBAN, July 22 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) is focusing on a locality-based micro-campaign strategy to deliver the coalition’s message and election pledges directly to grassroots voters in the 16th Negeri Sembilan state election.

PH election director Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the small-group engagement approach is more effective as it focuses on addressing local issues and meeting the specific needs of each community, without touching on personal matters.

However, he said large-scale campaign events or mega ceramah still play an important role as the campaign finale, serving as a platform to showcase the strength and unity of the coalition machinery while attracting fence-sitters.

“In Negeri Sembilan, PH is leading the state government... the stability demonstrated during its first term will be a key selling point.

“PH has a strong track record, including increasing the state’s reserves and stimulating economic activity with growth of between 25 and 28 per cent. This will reinforce the confidence of opinion leaders and decision-makers to support the coalition with a strong majority,” he told Bernama here today.

Amirudin, who is also Selangor Menteri Besar, said the effectiveness of the micro-campaign strategy is further strengthened by PH’s well-established grassroots machinery in Negeri Sembilan, which has been firmly in place since the coalition was given the mandate to govern the state in 2018.

Commenting on improvements to the strategy compared with the recently concluded Johor state election, he said PH is placing greater emphasis this time on ensuring message consistency and strengthening coordination among the component parties’ campaign machinery to ensure a more organised campaign.

Beyond its campaign strategy, Amirudin is optimistic that PH’s administrative track record under Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun from 2018 to the present will be a key benchmark for voters in choosing political stability in the state.

On the cooperation between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the state election, Amirudin said the strategy reflects the new reality of the country’s political landscape, where parties have continued to seek the best coalition formula since the 2018 General Election.

He said past experience has shown that every political alliance faces its own challenges, particularly in maintaining consensus, allocating seats and aligning its direction when contesting elections.

Amirudin said the strength of a political coalition should not be judged solely on the outcome of a single election, but rather on its ability to sustain consensus and manage challenges over the long term.

In the 2023 Negeri Sembilan state election, PH won 17 seats, while BN secured 14 and PN five.

The Election Commission has set Aug 1 as polling day for the 16th Negeri Sembilan state election, with early voting scheduled for July 28.

For the latest updates on the 16th Negeri Sembilan state election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/n9. — Bernama