SEREMBAN, Aug 1 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) has attributed its dismal performance in today’s Negeri Sembilan state election to "racial and identity politics," cautioning that such polarising tactics threaten to fracture the state’s multi-ethnic social fabric.
The coalition’s Election Department confirmed that PH unofficially won in only 11 of the 36 seats contested. This result leaves them a distant third behind Barisan Nasional (BN), which has 18 seats, and Perikatan Nasional (PN), seven.
“This state election witnessed an extraordinary campaign of racial politics based almost entirely on identity, which has the potential to sow division within society and the state.
“Such an approach is capable of creating anxiety and feelings of suspicion among the people, particularly between the Malay community and the non-Malay community,” the coalition said.
Together, the BN-PN informal alliance commands a two-thirds majority, clearing the path for them to form the next state government.
The outcome signals a dramatic collapse in support compared to the 2023 state polls, where PH previously held 17 seats, BN 14, and PN five.
Significantly, the state election also saw the defeat of DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke, who lost his Chennah seat to MCA’s Siow Kong Choon by a margin of 491 votes.
At a press conference at Wisma Umno Negeri Sembilan earlier tonight, BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi confirmed that BN and PN will now initiate discussions to formalise the new administration.
The election saw a 65.38 per cent turnout, with 562,133 out of 859,760 registered voters casting their ballots across 36 constituencies.
While PH said it accepted the results, it maintained that the campaign discourse was steered away from nation-building.
The coalition argued that the future of Negeri Sembilan should rest on “fundamental issues such as the local economy, employment opportunities for the younger generation, children’s education, the cost of living, and public welfare, rather than politics that frightens the people.”
PH instead advocated for a return to values-based politics that upholds the dignity of all Malaysians.
Despite the heavy losses, PH expressed its gratitude to voters, Election Commission staff, security forces, and its own grassroots machinery for ensuring a smooth polling process.
The coalition announced that all 36 candidates will return to their constituencies tomorrow morning to thank supporters, with successful representatives scheduled to establish their service centres by Monday.
The statement was issued by the PH Election Department and signed by Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, Datuk Seri Utama Aminuddin Harun, Sany Hamzan, Khalid Samad, and Faiz Fadzil.
